Our rarest is a Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar. It’s the best preserved one anywhere.

If you’re passing through Everett, Washington, on sunny days in spring or summer, don’t be surprised if you see a P-51 Mustang flying by. Or a British Spitfire. Or maybe a Messerschmitt or any of a number of other aircraft from World War II.

Everett is home to the Flying Heritage Collection, an incredible personal collection of vintage aircraft that the owner likes to share with the public. Year-round, these winged veterans of World War II are on display in the FHC Museum, but many have been restored to flying condition, and when weather permits during the warmer months, they take to the skies again.

In an exclusive interview with ArmchairGeneral.com, the museum’s executive director, Adrian Hunt, explained how this unique opportunity to visit the past came about.

ArmchairGeneral.com: What is the Flying Heritage Collection?

Adrian Hunt: It’s a magnificent collection of both iconic and rare aircraft, showcasing some of World War II’s greatest hits.

It began as the private collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen in 1975. He is a major philanthropist and supporter of museums, among other things. This is a beautiful collection of WWII aircraft, restored to excellent condition—in most cases flying condition. He wants the public to experience these planes as they could have 60 years ago.

Every care is taken to obtain original parts when we’re restoring a plane. If we are unable to obtain original parts, we use materials identical to those used originally. With a plane covered in fabric, for example, we use the same material with the same number of threads as that of the original aircraft. It is arguably the greatest private collection of aircraft in this condition.

ACG: How did it get started?

AH: Paul Allen has always been interested in museums and in sharing his collection with the public. He amassed this collection over 10 years. I don’t think the plan was ever to just collect them and store them somewhere; I think sharing them was always in the back of his mind. He is involved with several other museums, not just ones related to aircraft.

ACG: Such as?

AH: He has a large music museum called EMP, Experience Music Project. It is incredibly interactive, with a fantastic collection of vintage instruments. There’s a whole area where you can learn to use musical instruments. It basically talks you through simple ways to play guitar, for example, with lights on the strings to show you how to play.

He also sponsors the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. It has a large collection of artifacts of materials associated with science fiction—books, movie costumes, artwork. Captain Kirk’s chair from the original Star Trek series is in that museum.

Both EMP and the Science Fiction Museum are in Seattle, but he is also the benefactor of a computer science exhibit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History.

ACG: Did all the aircraft in the Flying Heritage Collection actually fly in World War II?

AH: We do have a Curtiss Jenny from 1918, but all others are from World War II, and most served in the war. We have two aircraft that did not see combat, a P-40 Thunderbolt and a Hellcat.

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