Fly with history at Paine Field Aviation Day on May 17

Kids fly free.

Wait, don’t pack your bags yet.

It’s only about a 15-minute flight, and adults can’t go.

The free rides, for ages 8 through 17, will be offered at Paine Field Aviation Day on May 17.

Ages 16 and younger get in free. Admission is $10 for ages 17 and older. It includes the Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic Flight Foundation.

This is the 19th year for Aviation Day, which begins at 9 a.m. with a Charity Firefighters Pancake Breakfast ($5 donation) and ends at 3 p.m.

Meet pilots. View historic aircraft. Talk with flight schools.

“It’s intended to draw in the community and expose them to aviation,” said Frank Hummel, volunteer coordinator. “You can get up front and personal with the planes.”

There will be a bunch of vintage planes rumbling overhead.

The first Aviation Day was initiated by the Washington Pilots Association to educate the public about aviation and has grown in popularity.

About 8,000 people showed up last year. Shuttles are available.

Activities include bouncy houses, classic car displays, photo booth, robotic displays, model airplanes and the opportunity to build a robot.

Space is limited to first-come for the free plane rides for youth.

Translation: Get there early. Bring an adult to sign a waiver.

“People line up before the gates open to get a sequence number,” Hummel said. “It is highly organized and orchestrated.”

The flights follow a set route: No aerobatics or unusual attitudes.

At last year’s event, about 275 kids took a plane ride. Pilots volunteer their time, aircraft and fuel.

Volunteers are needed on the ground. No aviation experience needed.

Last year about 370 people, teens to seniors, volunteered. “Everything from static displays to parking lot attendants,” Hummel said. “Some volunteers help with volunteer check-in.”

There’s still time to sign up. To volunteer, email paine-volunteers@wpaflys.org.

Volunteers get a T-shirt, free admission and an invite to the appreciation party.

And free pancakes.

Andrea Brown: 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com.

If you go

Admission is $10. Free for those under 17.

Flying demonstrations from noon to 1:30 p.m. from Flying Heritage Collection, Historic Flight Foundation and the Cascade Warbirds.

Aircraft on display include: North American B-25, North American P-51, Republic P-47, DC-3, Spitfire, Cessna 182, Cessna 172, Tri-pacer, Navion and Long-EZ.

Biplane and helicopter rides are an additional fee.

The two designated lots are the blue lot at 9801 27th Place W., Everett, and the red lot, 10719 Bernie Webber Drive, Mukilteo. Shuttles will pick up and drop visitors off at the entrances, and there will also be a cross-field shuttle to all Paine Field attractions.

For more information go to www.painefield.com.

Flying Heritage Collection

Flying Heritage Collection is at Paine Field, 3407 109th St. SW, Everett.

Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays; and every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Regular admission is $14; seniors and military are $12; ages 6 to 17 are $10. Free for ages 5 and younger.

Upcoming events:

Tankfest Northwest: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Memorial Day, May 26. Restored tanks, military vehicles and artillery weapons. Driving and firing demonstrations. Puget Sound Military Vehicle Collectors Club parade. Free admission for veterans.

Ace Makers Day: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Father’s Day, June 14. Learn about classic aviation. Warbirds take flight at noon. Ed Saylor, a Doolittle Raider veteran, will share his combat experiences.

For more information go to www.flyingheritage.com.

Historic Flight Foundation

Historic Flight Foundation is at 10719 Bernie Webber Drive, Mukilteo.

Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Regular admission is $12; seniors and military are $10; ages 6 to 15 are $8. Free for ages 5 and younger.

Upcoming events:

70th anniversary of D-Day: June 6: “Diamond Four” formation of P-51 Mustangs to visit 20 cities and towns in Western Washington will launch at 10 a.m. and land at 3 p.m., with a noontime tour of downtown Seattle.

June 7: About 100 living historians in authentic D-Day attire and military vehicle enthusiasts. Veterans will be asked to recall their experiences. B-25 and P-51B planes will show off invasion stripes in a tribute to the surviving veterans.

Father’s Day Weekend: June 14 and 15.

Mukilteo Car Show: June 22.

For more information: call 425-348-3200 or go to www.historicflight.org.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.