Rexburg opens new aircraft museum

Rexburg, Idaho, officials are hoping a new aircraft museum takes flight and draws tourists to the eastern Idaho town.

The 18,000-square-foot Legacy Flight Museum at the Rexburg Airport houses nine vintage planes from World War II and the Korean War, a Russian jet from the Cold War, and a replica World War I plane.

Far from being relics, all of them are flightworthy, including a World War II P-51 Mustang fighter. The P-51, one of 150 in the world that can still fly, is owned by John Bagley, who, with his brother Terry, built the hangar.

Also in the collection is a P-63 King Cobra, one of three in the United States that can still fly. Terry Bagley said the World War II-era plane is essentially a flying cannon designed to destroy tanks.

An air show is planned in June to showcase the aircraft.

“All of the airplanes in this hanger will be flying at that air show,” said Terry Bagley. “These airplanes all fly. They’ve all been restored. They’re beautiful. It’s not a static display.”

The museum is expected to draw some of the thousands of tourists who pass by Rexburg on their way to nearby Yellowstone National Park.

Portland rides high

Portland was named the best overall city for cycling by Bicycling magazine.

The publication also named Portland the top cycling spot for cities with a population between 500,000 and a million, followed by Denver and Seattle (never mind the rain).

The list appears in the magazine’s March issue, which is on newsstands through the end of this month.

The “must-ride” route featured for Portland was an 18-mile trek from the Eastbank Esplanade of the Willamette River downtown to the Springwater Corridor Trail in Boring.

In Denver, the magazine identified the Cherry Creek Trail as the local “must-ride,” while in Seattle, it’s the 14-mile Burke-Gilman Trail.

In picking the top cycling cities, the magazine looked at the number of bike lanes and routes in each city, along with the number of bike racks and the local bike culture – bike commuters, clubs, cycling events and bike shops. Local climate and geography also were factored in.