Golden age of aviation shines at Vintage Aircraft Weekend

MUKILTEO — The engine sputtered and popped.

The camo-green fuselage shook as pilots adjusted gauges and chattered on the radio, preparing to roll down the runway at Paine Field on Wednesday.

“Grumpy,” one of the world’s oldest flying B-25D Mitchell bombers, took off, climbing 8,500 feet into the clouds above the Cascade foothills.

The twin-engine medium bomber is among more than 60 airplanes that will be on display at the nonprofit Historic Flight Foundation’s annual Vintage Aircraft Weekend, which kicks off Friday and continues through Sunday in Mukilteo.

The planes to be showcased are from the golden age of aviation, the three decades between Charles Lindbergh’s solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in 1927 and commercialized Boeing jet service along the same route in 1957.

“Grumpy” has been flying since 1943. Today, it is based at the Historic Flight museum. It serves as a representation of a similar aircraft that flew 125 missions in World War II, taking out small targets such as bridges, airfields and troop concentrations for the Allies, said the B-25D’s volunteer crew chief Rob Otero. Its tight quarters carried a five-man crew, as much as 3,000 pounds of bombs and as many as eight .50-caliber machine guns, he said.

This weekend’s event will feature “Grumpy” and other unique aircraft, such as the Douglas World Cruiser and the GeeBee Q.E.D. Other famous flyers include an A-1 Skyraider, P-51 Mustangs, Boeing Stearmans, the Grumman Tigercat and Bearcat.

At 6 p.m. Friday, people are encouraged to dress in period clothing for a dinner and dance. Tickets are $60.

“The fact that some pilots aren’t very good dancers” is offset by professional swing dancers, who will be giving lessons, Historic Flight founder John Sessions said.

On Saturday, people can see flying vintage planes, warbirds and helicopters. Those who sign up for an annual museum membership can go for a ride.

Several former U.S. Navy pilots will be talking Saturday about their experiences with the airplanes during WWII, including Lt. James Whitman, 98; Capt. Greg Lambert, 90; Lt. Cmdr. Bill Anderson, 90; and Johnny Oberto, 93.

Oberto joined the Navy at 19 as a seaman second-class and was placed into advanced flight training. He was assigned to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York, to test airplanes for several manufacturers as they rolled off assembly lines and to deliver them to combat squadrons.

Oberto said he always did a careful inspection and prepared for the unexpected before a flight.

“You never know what you’ll find on a new aircraft,” he said. “We had problems. We had crashes.”

On one of his close calls, Oberto had agreed to give a young man a ride home to visit his mother in San Diego aboard a torpedo bomber, the “Avenger.” But somewhere over the desert, there was an explosion and gas started splattering on the windshield.

Oberto couldn’t land there so he ordered the young man to bail out.

When he didn’t see a parachute or hear a response from his passenger on the headset, Oberto decided to try to make it to El Paso to land.

“I thought, ‘I’m not going to bail and leave him back there. I’d never be able to live with myself,’” he said.

Once they landed, Oberto said, he opened the back of the airplane. The young man’s face was as “white as a ghost.” He told the pilot he didn’t bail because it looked like a long way down.

“He took the train to San Diego,” Oberto said.

Saturday’s lineup will include stories about the history of United Airlines by Boeing archivist Mike Lombardi and live music, street food, a military vehicle encampment, vintage automobiles and other attractions.

Admission costs $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and members of the military, and $10 for those ages 11 to 17. Children younger than 10 and members get in for free.

On Sunday, people can talk to pilots about their aircraft. Rides will be offered in open cockpit biplanes and in “Grumpy.”

For more information and tickets, call 425-348-3200 or go to vintageaircraftweekend.org.

“The hope of all this is to inspire people with the history,” said Sessions, Historic Flight’s founder. “We share a passion for aviation and it can be contagious.”

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

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.