Naval Air Museum Barbers Point

Really wanted to check this place out. Left a message to schedule a time, but sadly no call back. Place looked very cool from the street, but I guess that is all I will see.
Have a few more days in Hawaii, Mabey I will get a call.

This is one of the best aviation museums I’ve been to, and I’ve been to a lot! It’s great because they actually LET YOU SIT in almost EVERY aircraft they have, operate the controls, flip switches, and generally play fighter pilot! You can also don a flight suit and helmet! And it’s not limited to airplanes; they also have helicopters, airport fire trucks, humvees, tanks, and many other items in their collection. Want to sit on a cruise missile? Done. Want to play Top Gun by hanging out in the briefing room, grabbing your helmet, walking out to the flight line and climbing the ladder into your A-​4 Skyhawk? Done. This place is a MUST for anyone who enjoys aviation or just climbing around on/​in cool vehicles. Kim and Brad really care about their visitors having a good time, and whether you’re a kid or a grown-​up kid, you’re bound to have a good time. Not to mention, it’s away from the crowds and hustle and bustle of Honolulu. Check it out, you’ll love it!

There are not too many places on Oahu for the aircraft enthused. I know because my 2 year old daughter is one of the many aircraft enthused individuals and trying to find a place to have a birthday party themed around her 2 year old interest was difficult to say the least. Of course there is the obvious, Aviation Museum, but I refuse to pay $ 15 for admission to the museum PLUS and $ 100+ for a private room reservation, PLUS $ 10 for a hot dog… for my TWO year old’s birthday party. I am admittedly as party planning obsessed as the next mom, but there is a point at which I draw a line and that point is at $ 10 for a hot dog.
So of course, I have to call my Unilocal extraordinair woman, Lori I to ask her if she has any ideas for me. She suggests the Naval Air Museum at Barber’s Point. This place is AWESOME! It’s a small, unknown «museum» that does PRIVATE tours, which let you see, touch, explore, inside and out real life, restored planes and other aircraft, all with the expertise of a private guide. Our tour guide was Brad and he was wonderful. Our group consisted of 10 adults and 5 kids ages 2 – 7 and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was definitely a great experience to be able to explore the planes all on our own timing and all to ourselves! Brad was really flexible with following the kids’ interests and timing of moving from plane to plane. The kids were in awe of being able to sit in the cockpit, touch all the controls, lay down on a «bed» in the huge plane, wave at each other from the window, and be up close to real live, and real BIG planes. Can’t even get this up close and personal when actually riding a plane since you board through the gate and basically can’t even see or touch the outside of the plane. We also got to ride a fire truck to go from the gate out to the planes on the tarmac, and he took us for a little ride after we were done visiting the planes. Needless to say, my two year old was in heaven!
To book a tour, visit their website
and call to request your time and day. You pay between $ 10-​$ 12 per person (less for kids) and it’s all donation so the $$ goes to the upkeep of the planes, and facility. Parking is all on the street right outside of the museum and was not at all a problem. There’s no where to really eat lunch on the facility, however Brad did offer that we could eat under the shade of a wing or even in one of the planes, however because of the kids, we decided we didn’t want to worry about the «messy» eaters or mess up their planes. So we just took our lunch to a near by park. But if you are just going to bring snacks, there’s a small grassy area at the entrance, however it’s not very shady.
Overall, it was a great experience and educational too. So wether it’s for a birthday «party», for your airplane enthused child, or just for a new experience, the Naval Air Museum is definitely something unique and different to do with kids, or even just adults! Thanks Lori I, for this great discovery!

Once again Unilocal comes through! I found this museum when I thought we’d be spending a few days of our vacation near Kapolei and was looking for things to do in the area. We ended up staying in Waikiki the entire time but decided to make the short drive west anyway since my husband loves military planes.
It was totally worth the drive! I called the week before to make an appointment with Brad but I think you can call on shorter notice too. The place is pretty tough to find as there isn’t much in the way of signage, just remember when you get to Midway St. turn right and look for two rows of planes and helicopters on the runway as a sign that you’re at the right place. You can park on the street right in front of the museum.
Brad meets you at the gate to let you in and we just walked over to where the helicopters and jets were lined up. He was SO knowledgeable about each aircraft, where it had served, knew stories about specific missions and the men who flew the aircraft, and was just a wonderful tour guide. My husband loved that we were able to climb into over half of the aircraft and even sit in the cockpits! It was like a dream come true for him and I made sure to snap lots of pictures. You can really tell that Brad loves each of the planes like babies and takes great pains to make sure they are restored in an accurate way.
He mentioned that they were planning to get some new planes and also that he was still working on restoring a lot of the existing planes so we’ll make sure to come back on a future trip!
I would highly recommend that anyone who loves historical military aircraft visit this museum. Suggested donation is $ 12/​adult and $ 8/​child and worth every penny (we gave a few dollars extra since we really hope this museum stays around!). It’s a great way to spend an hour or two, just remember to bring water and wear sunblock!

FOR AIRCRAFT ENTHUSIASTS! GET UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WiTH AIRPLANES, HELICOPTERS AND OTHER COOL FLYING VEHICLES!
All of the aircraft in this «museum» were used at Barbers Point at some time. There’s a story behind every baby there, and there are bullet hole patches to prove it. Although this museum has been around since 1999, it is mostly visited by schools on field trips. Always on a hunt for something different, I was thrilled to see Terry’s review last summer about this place I’d never heard of before. Great hidden gem Terry, thanks for finding this place for me!
I knew it was gonna be a good visit when Brad (our volunteer tour guide) pointed to a bright highlighter yellow truck and said, «Jump inside kids, we’re going for a ride». This museum is not air-​conditioned, you are right on the tarmac!
He drove us on the tarmac to see all different type of jets, copters, and even let us climb up the ladder into the cockpit of one of them. This was the highlight of the trip, and even the adults scaled the ladder. They don’t let you jump into the cockpit at the Pacific Aviation museum or K-​bay airshow (which is coming up Sept 29 – 30, btw), so this was kinda neat:
After we were done jumping in and out of the cockpit a few dozen times, he drove us to the heli-​port where we got to watch one of the helicopters take off. We completed our tour with a visit to the Kalaeloa air traffic control tower, which my son absolutely loved. I don’t know why he loved it (it’s nothing special), but he just loves airplanes and helicopters, so he had a really good time here.
MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS. We met Brad at the fence, he let us in and then locked the gate behind us. PRIVATE TOUR!
HOURS: M-​F 8a-4:30p, S/​S by appt only
SUGGESTED DONATION: $ 10 adult/​$ 7 child
QUICK TIPS:
Go early and BRING WATER AND SNACKS for the kids. There is no store and the kids get hot and hungry out on the tarmac, trust me. Flushing toilets available. Free parking along MIdway. Have fun!

Unilocal Challenge 365 #10/​365
This is place you can go to for a variety of reasons
1) because you are looking for something to do
2) you have guests and you need to find something to put on your agenda of things to do, places to see
3) you are a teacher and you need a place to schedule for a class excursion
4) you are a parent trying to educate your children
5) you want to see if what you saw on «Top Gun» is really what the movie claims things to be
and my list can go on and on and on
Here’s the surprising thing: I try to find them on Unilocal and find no one’s Unilocaled about them yet!
I got my vouchers on Hot Deals Hawaii in my quest to entertain my niece and nephew. Of the places I chose to go, this has got to be the «hottest» place (and I mean 90 degrees under the hot sun) and the «coolest» person (and I mean Brad, our tour guide) who by the way tells me he is a volunteer!
There are many planes and tanks and trucks and stuff! Each has its own meaning and served its special purpose at and during its own time.
I am pleased because I learned a few things (definitely, I am a climate controlled person and serving in the military and flying planes or driving tanks are not my idea of fun) about the fighter planes, the tanks and trucks, but I am even more pleased with the fact my nephew found it so interesting and he was so involved with our journey, asking questions, etc. (all the while I wanted to sit under the darn tree by the parking lot because sugar melts)
Oh one more IMPORTANT thing: call for reservations. Can’t get in without one. Ask for Brad. Cost is $ 5 per child, $ 7.50 per adult.
Go in the morning before high noon= don’t forget the sun screen
go check it out: