for Event Hours & Fees click HERE

About The Events

Each year the Museum holds a series of Special Events featuring a Antique Aeroplane Show, a rally of antique motor vehicles relating to the theme of the event, Engine Room Demonstrations, restoration talks, rare vehicle demonstrations, free Model-T rides for the family, films, and more. Several events feature visiting Antique & Classic Aircraft, and the Transportation Spectacular, features an Aerobatic Airshow. The Museum’s Exhibitions and Collection are also on display at events.

View an event as seen on MaineToday.com

Due to safety considerations, no pets please.

Event Hours: Unless otherwise noted all events open to the public at 9:30 AM and the Museum closes at 5 PM. Note: The majority of activities run from 10 am to 2 pm. Museum planes fly, weather-permitting. Best viewing is early morning when wind is calmest.

Exhibitor Gates open at 8:30 am for each event. Exhibitors get in free.

Event Admission:

• $12 for adults & seniors ($15 for NE Auto Auction & Transportation Spectacular)
• Children under 18 are FREE
• Members receive free admission to all events. Membership levels include Individual ($40), Family ($60) and Grandparent ($60). Learn more about Membership.

(Return to Event Schedule)

The Museum is located on Route 73 in Owls Head, Maine, just three miles from Rockland, on Penobscot Bay in the heart of Maine’s spectacular Midcoast Region. There is plenty of free parking and, on peak event days, a free bus shuttle service. Picnic lunches are welcome, and hotdogs, crab rolls, snacks, and drinks are available at the Squeaky Wheel.

Events start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., rain or shine. The Museum’s WW I Aircraft are flown throughout the day, weather permitting. Exhibitor gates open at 8 a.m. No Pets Please.

Antique Aeroplane Shows

The Museum owns, and flies, one of the finest collections of WW I-era Aeroplanes in the world. Significant aircraft include a 1923 Fokker C.IV (the only operable C.IV in the world), a Curtiss Jenny (1917), a R.A.F. FE-8 (1916), the freshly restored Standard J-1 (1918), and a Sopwith Pup (1916). A highlight of many events is a thrilling performance by the Red Baron in his Fokker DR.I Tri-plane.

Aerobatic Airshows

The Museum will hold one Aerobatic Airshow in 2009, the 35th Anniversary Transportation & Aerobatic Spectacular. Recent performers include the Yak Attack, a three-plane precision aerobatic team, Reese Dill in his T-6, Jim Parker performing graceful aerobatics in his Salto Glider, Dan McCue in his supersonic Czech L-39 and the Star Spangled Flyers’ sky-diving routine. Click Here for a short video (1.4MB) of past performances (QuickTime Player® required - Click Here to download free QuickTime Player®)

Classic & WW II Aircraft

The Museum invites owners of classic aircraft from the World War II era to fly in and exhibit at certain events. Recent classic aircraft include several B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-24 and B-25 Bombers, a DC-3 and its military cousin the C-47 “Skytrain”, a C-130 “Hercules” Transport, a Lockheed Electra, a Beechcraft C-45, an Antonov AN2 (the largest single-engine biplane in the world), Piper Cubs, Staggerwings, Harvard and T-6 WW II fighter trainers, Huey Medevac Helicopters, and a Czech L-39 “Albatross”. For more information please contact the Museum's Aircraft Conservator, Karl Erickson.

The Autos (trucks, tractors, commercial vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, engines and more)

The Museum invites owners of appropriate antique vehicles to exhibit at events, resulting in spectacular, temporary displays. Owners of any antique vehicle, pre-1988 for our purposes, are invited to exhibit their vehicles and attend the event free of charge. Exhibitors will be directed to the Exhibition Area on arrival.

The Music

Some shows feature live music in the shade of our open-air pavilion, with bands matched to the theme of the event. Some popular repeat performers are the old time sounds of Old Gray Goose, the High Ryders Golden Oldie Show and others. Check individual event pages for further details.

The New England Auto Auction

No airshow. No music. Just 200+ classic dream vehicles heading to the auction block in the Annual New England Auction of Antique, Classic & Special Interest Autos, celebrating its 32nd year as one of the great summer events in New England. Whether to buy the car of your dreams, or simply to see others’ dreams come true, you don’t want to miss this fantastic consignment auction.

Engines

Engines, the heart of the technology driving the Transportation Museum. Events feature twice-daily demonstrations of many of the Museum’s engines, from the 100-ton Corliss Steam Engine to the landmark 1895 Otto Gasoline Engine. Owners of antique engines, including members of the Maine Antique Power Association, display and demonstrate their engines at several of the Museum’s events, including The Transportation Spectacular and Trucks, Tractors & Commercial Vehicles.

Free Model-T Rides

An American icon, the Model T Ford is the most important automobile ever manufactured. It redefined American transportation and the American workplace. Take yourself and the family for a ride up the Museum’s carriage lane or around the event grounds in one of our classic Model T Fords.

Museum Exhibitions and Collections

The Museum’s Exhibitions and Collections are on display at events. Current Exhibitions include Horse Power featuring horse-drawn vehicles used for transportation and commerce, A Century Ago - Transportation During the Wright Era and The Evolution of the Wheel. More information on current exhibitions.