Paine Field<\/a> can you see Boeing\u2019s new 787 Dreamliner being assembled \u2013 and restored World War II \u201cwarbirds\u201d take to the sky. You can get a close look at a Waco UPF-7 biplane, P-51B Mustang fighter and B-25D Mitchell bomber, or watch restorers work on a de Havilland Comet, the world\u2019s first passenger jet.<\/p>\nFly into Paine Field, and you can see all these amazing aircraft and many more among four aviation facilities clustered around this Snohomish County airport (KPAE). Located about 30 miles north of Seattle, WA, Paine Field is best known as home to Boeing\u2019s Everett manufacturing plant and test runway for new 747,767, 777 and 787 aircraft. The airport also serves small recreational aircraft and corporate jets \u2013 and has recently become a tourist destination with the addition of the Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour, Historic Flight Restoration Center, Flying Heritage Collection and Museum of Flight Restoration Center. <\/p>\n
If you want to see all four aviation attractions, plan on spending two days. You can easily do two attractions in one day, possibly three, depending on which ones interest you. Buy a Paine Field Passport at any of the four attractions to get discounts at all of them on admission, gift shops and caf\u00e9s; it\u2019s good for one year from date of purchase.<\/p>\n
For many, the Boeing Tour is a must. Affiliated with the Future of Flight Aviation Center since 2005, it is the only tour of a commercial jet assembly plant in North America. You watch the world\u2019s largest jets being assembled in the world\u2019s largest building (measured by volume: 472,370,319 cubic feet, covering 98.3 acres \u2013 a footprint as big as 75 football fields!). Rain clouds actually used to form in the Boeing plant before a state-of-the-art air circulation system was installed.<\/p>\n
The 90-minute tour begins with an orientation film at the Future of Flight Aviation Center; then you board a shuttle bus to the nearby Boeing manufacturing plant. Wear comfortable shoes, as you\u2019ll walk more than one-third mile through underground tunnels beneath the plant. You\u2019ll also walk up and down steep steps several times and ride an elevator 35 feet above the factory floor for a birds-eye view of the jets\u2019 assembly stations. There you\u2019ll observe a truly remarkable operation employing 32,000 workers and learn fascinating factoids from your guide while you watch some of the 26 overhead bridge cranes operate on a total of 31 miles of ceiling track transporting wings, tails and other large parts to awaiting aircraft.<\/p>\n
Returning by shuttle bus to the Future of Flight Aviation Center, you can then explore its interactive displays and hands-on exhibits highlighting commercial jet aviation. Visit its Aviation Zones including Flight Deck, Flight Systems, Propulsion\/Engines, Materials, Passenger Experience and Future Concepts. You can also digitally design our own jet, test and modify its flight worthiness, and then receive a free, personalized print-out of your final design.<\/p>\n
The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour is located in the northwest corner of Paine Field; in the southwest corner is the newest aviation attraction, the Historic Flight Restoration Center. Opened in spring 2010, Historic Flight houses the private collection of aviation enthusiast and pilot John T. Sessions. It contains the most important aircraft produced between 1927 and 1957, all fully restored \u2013 or in the process \u2013 to airworthiness. You can walk right up to these vintage aircraft on display in the facility and watch John and other pilots take some of them aloft on weekends, weather permitting.<\/p>\n
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