Pearson Field History

Pearson Field is a living link to early American aviation. It begins in 1905, when a powered airship crossed the Columbia and touched down on the Army’s parade ground. In the years that followed, the field supported a World War I spruce mill, trained Army Air Service aviators, welcomed the Douglas World Cruisers during the 1924 first flight around the world, and received the world’s first nonstop transpolar flight in 1937—today all part of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

Featured Moments

1924 — The World Flight Stops at Pearson

In March 1924, U.S. Army Air Service crews flying Douglas World Cruisers staged through the Vancouver Barracks/Pearson area before beginning the first aerial circumnavigation. Douglas World Cruisers at Pearson (NPS) .

1937 — Across the Pole to Pearson

On June 20, 1937, Valery Chkalov, Georgi Baidukov, and Alexander Belyakov landed their ANT‑25 at Pearson after a nonstop flight from Moscow over the North Pole—the first of its kind. Chkalov Transpolar Flight Monument beside the museum commemorates the achievement.

Airport Cafe during the Vanport Flood of 1948 — 1948 Vanport Flood

Airspace Safety Today: SRMD → Part 93 SFRA

Pearson sits just northwest of Portland International Airport (PDX). To manage converging traffic and wake‑turbulence risk, the FAA convened a Safety Risk Management Panel and documented mitigations in an SRMD, which informed a 2016 rule creating a Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) under 14 CFR Part 93.

Pearson Airport in the mid-1960s — Pearson Airport, Mid-1960s

Timeline

1905

Lincoln Beachey lands a Baldwin airship at Vancouver Barracks.

1917–1918

WWI Spruce Mill supports aircraft production.

1924

Douglas World Cruisers stage through Pearson.

1937

First nonstop transpolar flight lands at Pearson.

Flooding at Pearson Field in 1996 — 1996 Flood

Plan Your Visit

The Pearson Air Museum sits inside Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, allowing visitors to explore aviation, military, and community history together.