From Dr. Bird’s Inventions to Life Flight: A Morning of Discovery

Eleven of us from The Veterans Club visited the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center last Wednesday, September 23. We went to see historic aircraft and learn about Dr. Forrest Bird’s inventions, and our visit came with an extra opportunity: after the museum tour, Mark Sales gave us a tour of his Life Flight helicopter.

Located at the Coeur d’Alene Airport in Hayden, the museum brings together aviation history and the ingenuity of people who saw a problem and worked to solve it. Founded by Dr. Forrest Bird and his wife, Pamela, the museum originally opened in Sagle in 2007 before moving to its current location in 2019. It celebrates both the machines and the people whose ideas changed lives.

Dr. Bird’s work is a remarkable example. An aviator and inventor, he helped transform respiratory care through equipment that assisted people who could not breathe adequately on their own. His inventions included the “Baby Bird” ventilator for infants. Seeing that equipment alongside the aircraft gives visitors a sense of the range of his interests and the practical good that came from his curiosity.

There is something worth taking time to consider in a place like this. An invention displayed behind glass can look like just another piece of equipment until you think about the people who needed it. For a family waiting beside a hospital bed, the value of that work was deeply personal. Dr. Bird’s legacy reaches well beyond the museum that bears his name.

After our museum visit, Mark Sales extended the morning by giving our group a tour of his Life Flight helicopter. Thank you, Mark, for taking the time to let us get a closer look. Having that opportunity after learning about Dr. Bird’s work made for a fitting connection between aviation and caring for people.

For The Veterans Club, outings like this give us another way to spend time together. Our regular gatherings are the foundation of the club, but getting out and exploring something in our own community gives us new experiences to share. On Wednesday, eleven of us had the chance to learn a little more about a remarkable inventor and enjoy the visit together.

Thank you to the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center for welcoming our group, to Mark Sales for the helicopter tour, and to everyone who joined us.

The museum is located at 2678 W. Cessna Avenue in Hayden, and admission is free. To plan a visit, check birdaviationmuseum.com or call 208-758-8355 for current hours and airport gate access instructions.