Norway's national aviation museum sits on the edge of Bodø airport and covers the full arc of Norwegian flight, from the earliest biplanes to the jet age. The Cold War section is the most compelling, partly because it is so local: Bodø served as a major NATO air base during the Cold War, and the museum holds exhibits relating to that period including material connected to the 1960 U-2 incident.
The military aviation collection is strong — Norwegian Air Force aircraft from World War II onwards, including German aircraft from the occupation — but the civilian history is equally interesting. Norway's geography made aviation essential early; routes to remote Arctic communities were developed decades before roads reached them. Allow two to three hours. The museum is about 3 km southwest of the city centre; buses run from the terminal.