On the drive home form Abbotsford, I made an impromptu stop at Paine Field  for the Flying Heritage Collection’s August 11th fly day. The FHC is Paul Allen’s collection of beautifully-restored vintage warbirds. Several aircraft in the collection are the only airworthy examples of their type anywhere in the world. During summer, the FHC hosts free “fly days” on the first Saturday of each month. The 11th happened to be “Luftwaffe Day”, originally intended to feature the collection’s Fieseler Fi 156 “Storch” and the first public flight of their newly-restored Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Unfortunately, the Fw 190 ran into mechanical troubles after taxiing to the end of the runway and was unable to fly. The Storch still performed admirably, though.

After the Storch landed (blowing a tire in the process), the fly day also saw five F/A-18s from MCAS Miramar taking off for training flights and an All Nippon Airways 787.

The Storch

The Hornets

The 787

In case this is my last post of 2012, happy holidays, everyone, and have a happy new year!