May is a busy month for the Museum of Flight.
Many activities are taking place beginning Saturday in recognition of Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, the annual Cascade Warbirds Fly-in takes place. Visitors can view a wide variety of restored vintage military aircraft representing several nations’ armed forces from World War II through the Vietnam conflict.
About 20 planes will be available for ground tours and photos, including a North American T-28 Trojan, a DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk and a Douglas AD-4 Skyraider. The pilots and owners of these planes will be on hand to answer questions and share their enthusiasm for these vintage warbirds.
The outdoor fly-in activity is free.
Visitors can celebrate Memorial Day early beginning Thursday with flights and tours of the 1945 “Aluminum Overcast” B-17 Bomber.
The Seattle-born B-17 played an important role in WW II and aviation history. The Experimental Aircraft Association’s aircraft carries the wartime colors of the 398th Bomb Group, serving as a living tribute to WW II aviation. With reservations, museum visitors can tour or even fly aboard this historic aircraft. The bomber arrives Wednesday.
On May 27 and 28, visitors can learn about flight fashion. Two family workshops teach about patches, emblems and flight gear with a special emphasis on the famed squadrons of WW I and WW II. The programs are included with museum admission and participants will create their own aviation-themed button.
The museum also honors those who have given their lives in the service of their country through three days of special programs over Memorial Day Weekend.
Also on May 28, Memorial Day Weekend programs are dedicated to heroism and valor of the Tuskegee Airmen of WW II, the first African-American military pilots.
Four Tuskegee Airmen will share their experiences of serving their country: Lt. Col. Howard Baugh, USAF (Ret.), flew 135 combat missions; Lt. Col. Robert Ashby, USAF (Ret.) served in Japan, Korea and England; Capt. Claude Platte, USAF (Ret.) was the first African-American officer to be trained and commissioned in the newly reopened Air Force pilot training program at Randolph Field Air Force Base in Texas; and Roscoe Draper was employed by the Tuskegee Institute as a civilian flight instructor for the Army Air Corps to teach flight and ground school courses from 1942 to 1945.
The event is free with museum admission.
On Memorial Day, the Boeing Employees Concert Band performs a program of patriotic favorites in honor of America’s military heroes. Admission is free to active military and veterans.
The Experimental Aircraft Association is bringing its B-17 back to Seattle.
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