With nearly 40 years of experience working in aviation across the military and commercial sector, Air Force veteran Larry Kanaster has lots of good stories to tell.

Like how his F-4 Phantom navigator was overwhelmingly steadfast in his pursuit to make sure maintainers kept the duo's jet in tip-top flying shape ("We almost never had a problem with that aircraft," Kanaster said with a laugh), or the time he came across an

F-104 Starfighter equipped with the maximum number of fuel tanks it could carry - all filled with beer.

Kanaster, a retired F-4 pilot who flew more than 160 bombing missions over Vietnam and later worked as a commercial pilot for United Airlines for 26 years, gets to share some of his many stories each week as a volunteer docent at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

After a member of his MG car club suggested he become a docent, Kanaster, a Tacoma resident, has been volunteering one day a week for the last three years, leading museum tours and informing visitors on a wide array of general aviation, aircraft and space history exhibits.

"It's a lot of fun," said Kanaster, 65, who retired from the Air Force in 1978.

Kanaster graduated from the University of Southern California and later earned his master's from the University of Arkansas in operations management. While he admits he wasn't the best student, the retired captain said that once he discovered his love for flying, it helped him become a better student. That love of flying and aviation also helped him get spun up to become a docent. Despite the fact Kanaster worked as an F-4 instructor pilot for several years and graduated from the Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation School, the introduction course the museum offers for docents took him a bit by surprise.

"It's very intensive," he said.

The course serves as a basic knowledge course to get docents informed on all the subjects the museum covers. During his time in the class, Kanaster picked up a special interest in the Wright brothers.

"For two guys with just a high school education, they were really amazing with what they accomplished," he said.

Once docents complete the course, they are encouraged to incorporate stories about their own aviation or military background into their tour.

"Everyone has a different way of doing tours according to their background," said Kanaster, who was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross during his service in the Air Force.

The course also served as a uniting force to bond volunteers, as some have more experience than others when it comes to public speaking. Volunteers would routinely critique each other and help each other become better docents, Kanaster said.

Now a seasoned tour veteran, Kanaster especially enjoys speaking to guests about airplanes, but says each group is different.

"It's about getting a feel for whom you're talking to and what areas they want to know more about," he said.

The former fighter pilot also enjoys meeting the many different veterans that come through the museum - especially the ones from World War II.

"They're quite interesting," Kanaster said.