Dreamliner makes a cameo at Fly-In
Published 11:13 pm Thursday, July 8, 2010
ARLINGTON — The Dreamliner fly-by was the highlight Thursday for a group of teenagers at the Arlington Fly-In.
The pilot of the Boeing 787 tipped his wings in a wave to the air show crowd. The new plane turned around over the Stillaguamish River and made another pass over Arlington Municipal Airport.
“It’s so quiet,” said Race Frazier, 18, of Marysville. “This is the first time I’ve seen it.”
Frazier and his friends all have dads who have worked on the Dreamliner, and they smiled with pride at the plane.
Frazier is a longtime volunteer at the Fly-In. The annual event is considered one of the top three aviation conventions of its kind in the nation and attracts thousands of people to Snohomish County.
Thursday, spectators took shelter from the sun under the wings of hundreds of planes displayed at the Fly-In. Many stepped out of the shade to snap photos of the Boeing plane.
Frazier and Daniel Oliver, 18, also of Marysville, along with Jesse Goldman and Tyler Price, 17-year-olds from Lakewood, are volunteering to manage the trash at the Fly-In.
They do their job so well the young men have plenty of time to watch the daily air show and tour the displays.
Oliver’s favorite is the new barnstormer display, which honors what many airplane enthusiasts consider the golden age of aviation. He helped build the barn that forms the centerpiece of the area, which is crowded with historic planes and cars.
During the late 1920s and ‘30s, barnstormer stunt pilots flew throughout the states giving performances and selling airplane rides. Pilots set up shop and operated from farmers’ fields for a day or two before moving on. Many people got their first aviation experience this way, Fly-In Director Barbara Tolbert said.
On the other side of the airfield, a crew from the Arlington Fire Department sat next to their fire engines with their gear ready to go.
“It’s a long day in the sun and a little nerve-racking” when pilots perform what appear to be risky maneuvers, Deputy Chief Tom Cooper said. “But it is a fun assignment.”
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
