A future pilot in his very own jump suit watches as a WWII F6 Hellcat prepares to taxi to the runway at Everett's Paine Field's Aviation Day. The annual event features free flights and access to the historical aircraft of the Flying Heritage Collection and the Historic Flight Foundation. The collections feature aircraft from WWII (and before) that have been fully restored to flying condition.
The Grumman F6F Hellcat entered operational service with the Navy in early 1943. The F6F-5 was the most common version of the Hellcat with over 7.800 built. The Hellcat was responsible for 75% of the aerial victories in the Pacific. There were 305 Hellcat aces. The plane in the Flying Heritage Collection never saw combat.
Not part of the airshow, the DreamLifter, a modified Boeing 747-400, taxied to the neighboring Boeing plant to unload sub assemblies for the 787 Dreamliner final assembly. The large cargo freighter has a tail assembly that swings open to allow for loading and unloading of parts as big as a fuselage. A completed Dreamliner took off part way through the airshow.
The Flying Heritage Collection's Republic P-47 Thunderbolt came off the assembly line shortly after Germany surrendered. It is painted to resemble Seattle native, Colonel Ralph Jenkins' plane, "Tallahassee Lassie".
Paul Allen has an NBA team, an NFL team and this really cool collection of airworthy historical airplanes...and tanks!
A restored Russian Iluyshin Il-2M3 Shturmovik took part in the airshow. This heavily armored Russian ground attack craft was shot down in 1944. It was recovered from the bottom of a lake in northern Russia in 1991.
The P-47, F6 and the Il2 bank in formation.
The P-47 making a few low level passes.
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