Seattle’s rich historic aviation culture was on magnificent display last Saturday at Paine field during Vintage Aircraft Weekend. It served as a reminder that airplanes, aviation, and the need for speed are a vital part of everything we are, and have been in Western Washington.
The region has a vast and impressive number of aviation museums, but last Saturday was more of a summer festival. More than 60 planes lined a service runway on the east side of Paine Field, a large stretch of flattop spread north and south in the shadow of Mount Baker. For Seattle, Everett, and–even if they don’t know it–everyone else in this state, this patch of ground funds a vast amount of jobs that form the basis of our state’s economy.
Boeing builds, finishes, and test flies its planes at Paine Field. On Saturday, new Boeing 747 cargo planes were lined up across the runway from the vintage aircraft crowd and appeared ready to be shipped out to customers having passed FAA testing this past August.
Vintage Aircraft Weekend wasn’t about big time commerce and industry. It was a more intimate celebration of the men, women, and non-profit organizations that are preserving our considerable heritage. Private citizens restored many of the planes on view.
The morning kicked off with a short speech by Bill Boeing, Jr. He was there not to look ahead to the 787 and the coming debate on the 737 MAX‘s production. Rather, he came to talk about the humble beginnings of The Boeing Company. One of the great planes on display was a beautifully restored Boeing Model 40C, a 1927 passenger biplane that was among the first to carry people across the skies. Peeking in the door of the passenger cabin, you had to acknowledge the brave pilots and passengers that flew in this plane. This is the last airworthy example of a 40. Home at last.
Walking along the flight line, every plane there had a story to tell, either in its history or in the details of its restoration.
One plane quickly caught my attention, a solitary Grumman F4F Wildcat. For some reason, the plane didn’t have a sign out front or, seemingly, many admirers; most of the attention at such shows go to the slick P-51 Mustangs or other more famous WWII planes. But this Wildcat is one of the few remaining examples of its type in the world; only a dozen or so remain.
And that’s a shame because this WWII carrier plane was the lone fighter available in the Pacific during the early, critical days of the war. Though a carrier plane by nature, it probably made its best contribution as a land-based fighter during the battle of Guadalcanal. The F4s formed the backbone of the Cactus Air Force which flew off of Henderson Field on the island. In combat, the F4s, though not as fast as the Japanese Zero, systematically destroyed the cream of Japan’s fighter force (and, more importantly, Japan’s pilots) during the long, brutal battle in the Solomon Islands. These rugged planes probably did more to win WWII than many of its more famous brothers.
Nearby, there was a replica of a Messerschmitt Me 262, one of the amazing Nazi secret weapons of the war. It was the first jet fighter plane. One member of the team that built this replica was standing by taking questions. He seemed genuinely surprised that the FAA was limiting this plane’s ability to fly over crowds or near inhabited areas. Siding with the FAA in this minor controversy would be the German pilots that fly the Me 262 during the war: it was a legendarily difficult plane to fly and surviving pilots considered it a good day when it didn’t blow up on ignition.
Someone with a good sense of irony put two impressive planes side-by-side: the Boeing 247 and the McDonnell-Douglas DC-3. The Boeing plane reached the market first in the mid-1930s. It was the world’s first all metal passenger plane, a technological leap that put Boeing way ahead of the competition. But the company took so many orders, and had such a hard time filling them, that the larger, more nimble DC-3 ended up with more sales and became the champion of the skies for passengers.
The Boeing Company almost died on the vine. Stuck filling past orders, it couldn’t keep up with new orders. Sound familiar? It was the first time that Douglas ate Boeing’s lunch. (The second time was a decade or so ago when Douglas bought Boeing with Boeing’s money and, shockingly, won the company culture war. The Douglas guys moved the company to Chicago and haven’t had much luck with new planes since.)
These two planes tell a sad, long story. But they both look great. The DC-3 has always been a cool plane and the 247 was lovingly restored by employees at Boeing who chipped away at the restoration for years on weekends, after work and during any other free time they had.
Boeing barely survived the Depression (for a while the company made furniture), and really only made it through on government contracts. The company exploded in size during WWII when its two bombers, the B-17 and the B-29, became legends and were much loved by their crews for their reliability, toughness, and graceful flying characteristics. I, for one, hope Boeing finds its mojo here very soon and does so with the talent and creativity on hand right here. At its true home.
It was surprising that no B-17 was on hand and I continue to be surprised that this magnificent plane is so underrepresented in our city and region.
Other rare warbirds included the B-26 and B-25, medium bombers that hit targets like the big boys but flew like fighters. One retired Marine pilot who flew the B-26 in was asked how it felt. “Awesome!” was his automatic response.
Beyond war planes, the festival had a lovely selection of privately restored flying machines, including a rare 1930s racing plane built by Ryan. It reminded me that planes used to have some panache in their design. Many biplanes were also on hand and rides were offered throughout the day.
The festival featured more than planes, which really gave the day a party feeling. Trucks, half-tracks, cars, motorcycles, and, of course, plenty of jeeps were on hand. Inside a larger display area was an interesting display of the history of women’s military uniforms from throughout our history. The story of women in wartime aviation history is under reported around here and this small display was most welcome.
The Heritage Flight Museum served as host and had plenty of members dressed in period garb. They do this every year, so next year don’t miss it. Stories this good can’t be told often enough.
