 |
|
|
|
|
| Warbirds Moving to Paine Field for Museum Opening | May '08 |
|
|
| By Terry Stephens |
| |
Rare World War II fighter planes from five nations are flying into Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, in preparation for the June 6 public opening of the Flying Heritage Collection's new air museum.
Displayed for the past three years at Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO) hangars, the vintage aircraft collection, assembled by billionaire Paul Allen, will soon be showcased in a 1950s-era, 51,000-square-foot hangar. Museum visiting hours will be greatly expanded, from a few hours a week at Arlington, to daily hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The rest of the year, the museum will close on Mondays.
"It will be much more like a regular air museum," said Adrian Hunt, the museum's executive director. "Instead of the guided tours at Arlington, people will be able to walk around to visit the 15 aircraft on display. We'll still have experienced docents providing occasional tours. They'll provide a detailed history of each aircraft and its role in the war."
Hunt said the quality of the collection more than makes up for the limited number of planes on display.
"This collection is important, because it contains some of the key planes that represent major technological advances in aviation during the war years," he said. "They've all been restored to immaculate condition. Because most of them also fly several times a year, the public will have opportunities for viewing them as flying machines, too."
Some of the planes began flying into Paine Field in late March, including a German Me-109 and a British Hurricane. Two Nazi V1s were trucked to Paine Field on a flatbed trailer, and a newly repainted P-47 flew to the new museum in late April. In May, a small rocket-powered Me-163 Komet fighter plane will arrive by truck. A freshly restored Japanese Zero will fly into Paine Field from California.
Among the displayed aircraft from the five principal combatants in WWII—the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and the Soviet Union—will be an F-5 Hellcat, Japanese Nakijima K143-1B Oscar, P-51 Mustang, Polikarpov U-2/PO-2, Focke-Wulf 190A, FG-1D Corsair and P-40 Warhawk,
"We're excited about having the Flying Heritage Collection as a new tenant," said Dave Waggoner, Paine Field's director. "They bring a wonderful new attraction to the airport that will draw local, national and even international visitors. That's good for Snohomish County tourism."
Paine Field is also home to the Future of Flight Center and Boeing Tour facility, adjacent to the Everett assembly plant for 747, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. Across the airfield is the Seattle Museum of Flight's Restoration Center, also open to the public.
Back to Page 1
|
|
|
|
|
