A Parent’s Review: The Flying Heritage Collection’s Summer Fly Days

Did you know that planes need to be exercised? The Flying Heritage Collection’s painstakingly restored World War II-era aircraft get their workouts every year on Summer Fly Days, when the general public gets to watch the planes being put through their paces for free.

My son and the friend who joined him for a birthday outing also got to see several planes – even climb into some – during the first Summer Fly Day of the year in mid-May, which coincided with General Aviation Day at Everett’s Paine Field. Aviation hobbyists parked their personal aircraft and opened them up for exploration. Each owner patiently explained what the instruments do, how the controls work, and gave each kid a view from the pilot’s seat.

During the actual flybys, there’s no designated seating, and the crowd tended to push forward, so bring your camp chairs and stake your claim. There was a kids’ tent with balloon animals and more, but we didn’t even go in because the planes were so exciting!

Four planes took off from the tarmac right in front of us. They flew right by the audience in a number of different patterns and circled back many times. Their close flying formations and low altitude passes were truly amazing, reminiscent of elite flyers like the Blue Angels. The introductory announcement was difficult to hear, but a knowledgeable audience member said they were P-51s. (The Flying Heritage Collection, created by Microsoft co-founder and lifelong aviation enthusiast Paul Allen, later confirmed the makes and models: a P-47D Thunderbolt, and three P-51D Mustangs – one from collection and two on loan from the Seattle-based John T. Sessions Historic Aircraft Foundation.) Director Adrian Hunt said the exercised planes will go to the “back” of the Flying Heritage Collection, and different planes will fly next time. The planes were in the air for about a half hour.

Seven-year-olds like my son are probably too young to appreciate an aspect of this plane collection that fascinates Executive Director Adrian Hunt: the huge technological leaps that were made just before and during the World War II era. From a parent’s perspective, though, seeing these planes and thinking about how far we’ve come was indeed exciting. All in all, we had a blast from the past and a terrific day out.

A few pointers for planning purposes: Parking is ample at Paine Field, but it’s a bit of a trek from the festivities, so bring those strollers for the small ones. On General Aviation Day, there were some Taste of Mukilteo concessions – barbecue stand, pizza a coffee booth – but normally there is no food for sale where the air shows take place, so be sure to pack a lunch or some snacks.

Machelle Allman is a Seattle educator, actor, and mom of a first-grader.