Pasco Aviation Museum Opens For Veterans Day

By Dori Luzzo Gilmour

There’s an aviation museum in Pasco that holds a special connection to United Airlines.

The Pasco Aviation Museum houses artifacts that have a special place in U.S. aviation history. Like the story of Varney Airlines originates at the historic site. Malin Bergstrom, President of the museum explains, “…they were the first private company to start flying airmail for profit in the entire United States…so April 6, 1926 was the first flight”

That flight went from Pasco to Boise, and Varney Airlines eventually became United Airlines.

Under threat of demolition in 2012, Bergstrom and a team of dedicated aviation enthusiasts worked to preserve, renovate, and restore the building. Bergstrom says, “Historic landmark at the airport that was scheduled to be torn down…and thankfully a local group, myself included, was able to convince the airport and save the building.”

The museum will be open for Veteran’s Day and the following weekend after being closed due to Covid-19. They recently received a sizable donation from the Central Plateau Cleanup Company, a major cleanup contractor at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. This donation will enable further renovation and continue the mission of the museum to showcase the history of aviation in Pasco.