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Touchable Aircraft for Young Visitors “Flies” in to Pearson Air Museum

The replica DH-4 Liberty Plane cockpit in the lobby of Pearson Air Museum. It's tail is in the foreground, painted red, white, and blue with "DH-4B" painted on it. The cockpit is olive green with "Army Air Corps" painted on its side in yellow. — A replica of a DH-4 Liberty Plane cockpit is on display at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's Pearson Air Museum.
NPS Photo / M. Huff

A simplified, touchable version of a DH-4 Liberty aircraft is now available for young visitors in the Pearson Air Museum lobby. The model was built by the park’s team of exhibit specialist volunteers and students at Vancouver’s iTech Preparatory school.

DeHavilland DH-4s were two-seat bombers used during the First World War, and were the only American-built aircraft used by the U.S. Army Air Service during the war. When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, the military did not have aircraft as worthy for combat as the aircraft already being flown by the British, French, and German pilots. To fix this problem, a special commission investigated Allied aircraft designs to pick one that was most suited to American needs and manufacturing. The British DH-4 was ultimately chosen because of its simple construction and the ease with which it could be mass produced. American manufacturers used 400-horsepower Liberty V-12 engines in their version, lending the aircraft the nickname “Liberty Plane.”

Liberty Planes first entered combat in August 1918 and were used by 13 Army Air Service squadrons. After the war, they were used by the US military until 1932, and also as mail service planes throughout the country. DH-4s were also used as observation and patrol aircraft by units like the 321st Observation Squadron stationed at Pearson Field. Learn more about Liberty Planes at Pearson Field here.

Like many museums, much of the collection on exhibit at Pearson Air Museum is historic, irreplaceable, and cannot be handled by the public. To offer a touchable feature, examples from other museums were used to come up with a preliminary concept. This rough idea was then passed on to engineering students at iTech, who worked out a preliminary 3-D design.

A computer screen shows a collage of small images of three-dimensional designs of a model aircraft and specific parts. — Every detail of the aircraft was designed by volunteer Tom, in three dimensions, before building began.
NPS Photo

A female volunteer, wearing a hat and ear protection, uses a power tool to smooth the large curve of the wooden tail section. — Volunteer Luana shapes the tail section.
NPS Photo

The National Park Service volunteer team redesigned the plans to make sure they were build-ready and constructed the aircraft itself. As the project progressed, they worked through every detail of construction, materials, hardware, and finish. They matched the paint colors of the original Liberty biplane in the museum collection, created stencils for lettering, and replicated the many other small features that bring the aircraft to life.

A close-up of a section of the airplane body shows a sticky, blue decal outline being pulled off after painting. White text reading R.A.I.D. 22-578 is on an olive green background. — This identification code, copied from the historic Liberty on display in the museum, stands for Rockwell Aviation Intermediate Depot plus the year and unique identifying number.
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A male volunteer, wearing glasses, coveralls, and paper covers for his hair and shoes, smiles for the camera as he applies olive green paint to wood with a small roller. — Volunteer Mike paints the front cockpit.
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Students at iTech were responsible for fabricating the many specialized dashboard elements, learning about historic aviation controls while improving their skills with a CNC machine, laser-engraver, and 3-D printer. In addition to making parts that looked accurate, the students also had to account for how the aircraft would be used by the public and ensure the parts were robust and not easily breakable.

Three male volunteers apply black plastic edging to the wooden body of the aircraft model. Two are unspooling and guiding the roll of edging while one holds it in place with a wooden rod and uses a mallet to hammer it into place. — Volunteers Jerry, Dennis, and Mike add plastic edging to the curved tail section.
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It took teamwork to move a nearly 600-pound model aircraft from the warehouse where it was constructed into the lobby of the air museum. But thorough planning meant a safe move for both staff and model aircraft. The aircraft is fully accessible, and we invite all young visitors to try out the dashboard controls, stick, and rudder pedals!

Twelve National Park Service staff, wearing uniforms, lift the aircraft from a wooden support onto a trailer for transport. They are in a warehouse with an open bay door. — A team of NPS staff begin the move of the aircraft from the warehouse where it was constructed during 2024.
NPS Photo

A close up view of the cockpit interior. Replica gauges are set into a veneer wood interior. — The dashboards were fabricated by students at iTech Preparatory under the guidance of engineering teacher Logan Myers.
NPS Photo / M. Huff

The funds for this project were provided through a matching grant to the Friends of Fort Vancouver NHS and the Honorable Frank L. and Arlene G. Price Foundation.

The exhibit was unveiled in January, 2025, at Pearson Air Museum. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is so grateful for the hard work of our volunteers and the students and educators at iTech Preparatory school!

Pearson Air Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, and is free to visit. Learn more and plan your visit here.