Hangar 180

Located in Lewiston, Idaho, on the Idaho-Washington border, lies more than a dream destination for pilots and aviation enthusiasts. Hangar 180 founder Gary Peters and a skilled team of devoted pilots, mechanics, and volunteers (including his daughter, Tyler) have created an airplane’s dream home. 

Hangar 180 boasts 12 aircraft ranging from a historic North American P-51 Mustang and 1929 Travel Air 6000 to brand-new CubCrafters Carbon Cubs. These legendary airplanes spend their lives in style, being pampered, flown, and doted on by Peters’ team and the local community. 

“Our name goes back to Ryan Aeronautical,” said Tyler Peters, Hangar 180’s sales and communications manager. “The company started off in Hangar 180 pre-World War II. Then they had to expand into Hangar 181 after the war because they got so big.”

Similar to Ryan Aeronautical, Hangar 180 can also relate to quickly growing and expanding its fleet in order to further its goal of honoring and preserving aviation history. 

“After I learned to fly the [Ryan] PT-22, we bought three Stearmans from Hood River,” said Gary Peters. “We got our feet wet with maintenance, and then we really got the bug. But we knew that this was going to be more than something I could do by myself. So we started taking on help to keep up with all the maintenance and everything we had going on.”

Over the years, as the fleet has grown, so has Hangar 180’s dedicated team.

“We’re very fortunate that we have a great group of folks,” said Gary. “I mean, I couldn’t do any of this without Bill Strange, Tyler, Jason Dugdale, and then all the pilots. I mean, we’ve got a bunch of young studs. We’re just very blessed.”

In addition, Hangar 180 will soon be embarking on a new chapter that has been almost a decade in the making—a full-fledged museum. 

“We spent two years working with the FAA on securing property and designing a build,” said Gary. “It’s completely designed, and the infrastructure was set out. We were ready to act but had to put our dreams on hold. I think we’re ready to move forward, and we look forward to a museum here in the near future.”

Although Hangar 180 isn’t currently open to the public, pilots can fly into Lewiston-Nez Perce County Airport (KLWS) and take a prescheduled tour of its already impressive facility.

“Get a hold of us on social media at Hangar 180 on Instagram and Facebook,” said Tyler Peters, “shoot us a message, and we can always figure out a tour.”

This article first appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of Plane + Pilot magazine.