Public May See Paul Allen's Storied Fleet Of Fighters

The Flying Heritage Collection, one of the world's great collections of rare World War II-era fighter planes from five major countries of the war, announced Friday its exhibition facility at Paine Field in Everett, WA is now open to the public. The collection features 15 of the most famous fighting planes ever designed and built, and it is one of the nation's largest collections of vintage planes in flyable condition.

"These planes and artifacts are important pieces of aviation history," said Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, owner of the Flying Heritage Collection. "Each plane represents a technological advancement that had an impact on flight right up to today. Our goal is to restore these planes, preserve them to authentic, flying condition, and share them with the public for generations to come."

The new facility -- a restored, working hangar close to the Paine Field flight line -- will be open to the public from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The collection will be open six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm the rest of the year. It is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"We are thrilled to open the collection to the public in our new home at Paine Field on the 64th anniversary of D-Day," said Adrian Hunt, executive director of the Flying Heritage Collection. "These rare aircraft can now be enjoyed by anyone with a love of flying, history or technology. Many of our aircraft are the last examples known to exist and now we have a public facility in which to display them."

The collection will continue its tradition of flying planes during the summer to help keep each plane operational and exercised on a regular basis. These "fly days," scheduled every other Saturday beginning June 14, 2008 and ending October 11, 2008, are free to the public and offer a great opportunity to see historic aircraft return once more to the sky.

(Photos courtesy of John M. Dibbs)

FMI: www.flyingheritage.com/