You can also stand on a roof deck overlooking the runway at Paine Field Airport and watch planes take off and land on test flights. The Strato Deck, as it's called, is wired up to the flight tower, so you can hear pilots talking to tower staff.
For a look at vintage planes in flight, visit the Flying Heritage Collection, tucked down a dead-end street at the other end of Paine Field, during one of the museum's Fly Days. Every other Saturday, from June to October, several planes from the collection are taken on short flights over the airport to keep each functioning properly. Inside the working hangar, you'll find one of the country's largest collections of workable warbirds.
"If you're into planes, these are the crown jewels," says Adrian Hunt, executive director of the collection. "They're so iconic and rare, and the way they've been restored is amazing. . . . We've used all authentic parts or, if we couldn't find them, we custom-made them to the original specifications."
The museum has 15 aircraft on display, including the German-produced Focke-Wulf 190D-13, the only one of its kind in the world today. Placards give information about the types of warbirds in the collection and the history of each specific plane.
Whether you are interested in historic planes, state-of-the-art aircraft, or the city inside the world's largest building, it's worth setting aside a day to explore this aviation mecca.
Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at travelwriter@karib.us.
