The 2013 Reunion

Museum of Flight

On Thursday, 10 October, we will go by chartered bus to the Museum of Flight for a private docent tour.  This museum is one of the best in the country. It holds one of the largest and most comprehensive air and space collections in the United States, containing millions of rare photographs and negatives, a world-class library, tens of thousands of artifacts, and over 150 rare aircraft and space vehicles.  Aircraft holdings include: Boeing 80A, B-17F, B-29, B-52G, VC-137B, WB-47E, Canadair CL-13B Sabre,
Concorde, P-40N, D.H. 106 Comet 4C, A-4F, DC-2, DC-3, Fiat G-91, V-1, Fokker D.VII and D.VIII reproductions, Super Corsair, A-6E, F-14A, F-9F8, Lear Fan 2100, Learjet 23, Super Constellation, D-21B drone, F-104C, RQ-3A Dark Star, AV-8C, F-4C, BF-109E, Mig 15, Mig 17, Mig 19, Mig 21, Nieuport 28, P-51D, YF-5A, H-21B, P-47D, Rutan Voyager, HH-53, Sopwith Camel reproduction, Spad XIII reproduction, PT-13A, Spitfire Mk.IX, Taylor Aerocar III, XF-8U-1, and Yak 9U.   Apollo Command Module 007A, various Apollo engineering mockups, International Space Station Laboratory mock-up, and Soyuz descent module.  Artifacts include military and airline uniforms, insignia, and a cutaway model of the Boeing SST.  Lunch will be on-your-own at the Wings Cafe in the museum.

Boeing Plant Tour

On Friday, 11 October, we will go by chartered bus to tour the Boeing factory in Mukilteo, WA, 25 miles north of Seattle. The facility is home to the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner production lines.  During the tour of the world’s largest building by volume (472,000,000 cubic feet or 13,385,378 cubic meters), visitors see airplanes being built for Boeing’s worldwide base of airline customers.  The tour lasts 90 minutes. No still photos or video cameras are allowed on the tour. We will view the aircraft being
assembled from tour balconies above the production line floor. The 787 line is fascinating – the aircraft being assembled travel along the assembly line just like an automobile production line.  We hope to have time to visit the Paul Allen museum (the Flying Heritage Collection) near the Boeing plant in conjunction with the Boeing tour.

Reunion Speakers

Several speakers are being lined up for our reunion. Topics include the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASPs) of WW II, test flying the Boeing 787, and reflections on the Vietnam War by a Marine veteran and CIA pilot of the conflict.

City Tour for Ladies

A city tour is being planned for the ladies while the men are visiting the Boeing plant. Details are still being arranged, but the following paragraph gives an idea of what is being planned.  A highly recommended city tour guide will accompany the ladies for a most interesting tour of the city highlights.  Starting with the perimeter of Seattle, you will see the floating homes on Lake Union and the Ship Canal.  Two neighborhoods are most interesting: Fremont with entertaining outdoor art and the neighborhood of Magnolia featuring award winning landscaping.  The group will travel along the waterfront to Pioneer Square to visit the Klondike Gold Rush Museum, the galleries, and the glass blowers at the Glass House Studio.  Traveling through downtown Seattle the flagship store of Starbucks, Nike and Nordstrom’s. At the Seattle Center, you visit the Chihuly Glass Museum and Gardens. This stop includes additional time to see Paul Allen’s music museum, an architectural wonder shaped like smashed guitars, and time on your own to visit the observation deck of the Needle.  Lunch at the Pike Place Market which is the most visited site in Seattle.  A visit to a private, historic home is also being considered.