The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum is a U.S.A.

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit organization dedicated to the display and preservation of rare military aircraft, tanks and other military equipment. The museum reopened on the Memorial Day Weekend 2023. On rotation in the three working hangars are military artifacts from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union. The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum is based at Seattle-Paine Field International Airport in

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

. Mechanics are typically on-site Monday through Friday, working on maintaining the technology and operating condition. The museum provides guided tours three days a week, hosts a variety of activities, features war conflict simulators, and possesses historical artifacts.

History

In 1998,

Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

co-founder

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft, Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the ...

began acquiring and preserving vintage aircraft. Allen's passion for aviation and history, and his awareness of the increasing rarity of original World War II aircraft, motivated him to restore these artifacts to the highest standard of authenticity and share them with the public. The Collection opened to the public in 2004 at the

Arlington, Washington Arlington is a city in northern Snohomish County, Washington, United States, part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The city lies on the Stillaguamish River in the western foothills of the Cascade Range, adjacent to the city of Marysville, Wash ...

, airfield, but in 2008 moved to a newly renovated historic industrial hangar located at

Paine Field Seattle Paine Field International Airport — also known as Paine Field and Snohomish County Airport — is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in uni ...

, United States. In 2013, the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum added a 22,000 square foot expansion hangar for its expanding collection. In 2018, came another expansion featuring the opening of Hangar C, which added over two dozen artifacts. On March 24, 2017, the Museum changed its name from the Flying Heritage Collection to the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum to reflect the transition from exclusively aircraft to a military vehicle & armament as well. In 2018, the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum became a public 501c(3) nonprofit. On March 3, 2020, the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum temporarily closed due to complications that arose as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. In April 2022, the industry magazine ''Air Classics'' reported that the museum's collection was sold, promising further details in its June issue. The Dutch Aviation Society reported that the buyer was Steuart Walton, grandson of

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

founder

Sam Walton Samuel Moore Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) was an American business magnate best known for Co-founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club, which he started in Rogers, Arkansas, and Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 1962 and 1983 res ...

. The sale was confirmed by

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and other media in August, 2022. The plan is for the museum to remain in Everett; reopening in 2023 under the stewardship of the Wartime History Museum, a nonprofit established by Walton earlier in 2022. Walton's nonprofit organization, the Wartime History Museum, acquired aviation artifacts from the FHCAM and reopened the museum on Memorial Day Weekend of 2023. The museum remains open to the public in Everett, WA.

List of warbirds

The Flying Heritage and Combat Armory has a number of historic artifacts. Their most valuable collection items are all aircraft. FHCAM also has a large collection of armored fighting vehicles.

United States

North American P-51D Mustang North American B-25J Mitchell

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk Goodyear FG-1D Corsair

Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...

Curtiss JN-4D Jenny Bell UH-1B Iroquois "Huey"

United Kingdom

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc Hawker Hurricane Mk.XIIAa de Havilland D.H.98 Mosquito T.Mk.III Avro Lancaster B. Mk.I (nose section)

Soviet Union

Polikarpov I-16 Type 24 "Rata" Polikarpov U-2/Po-2 Ilyushin II-2M3 Shturmovik

Imperial Japan

Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscar) Mitsubishi A6M3-22 Reisen (Zero or Zeke)

Germany

Fiesler Fi 103 V-1 Fiesler Fi 103R Reichenberg Fiesler Fi 156 C-2 Storch Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-13 (Dora)

Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed (German for "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ("Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messers ...

Junkers Ju 87 R-4 Stuka - Under restoration Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Emil) Messerschmitt Me 163 B Komet Mittelwerk GmbH V-2 Rocket

List of tanks

The collection features a variety of vehicles and armament dating from WWII to some present-day artifacts. Most of the artifacts are from the United States, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union.

United States

M1A1 Abrams turret trainer M48A1 Patton (Cut in Half) M4A1 Sherman M5A1 Stuart M60A1 Patton

M24 Chaffee The M24 Chaffee (officially light tank M24) was an American light tank used during the later part of World War II; it was also used in post–World War II conflicts including the Korean War, and by the French in the Algerian War, War in Algeri ...

M7B1 Priest M8 Greyhound M26 Pershing M55 self-propelled howitzer

United Kingdom

Churchill Mk VII Crocodile

Soviet Union

FMDB T-34/85 T-54M

Germany

Jagdpanzer 38(t) (Hetzer). Panzerkampfwagon IV Ausf. H

Japan

Type 95 Ha-Go The was a light tank used by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War, at the Battles of Khalkhin Gol against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It proved sufficient against infantry but was not effective against othe ...

List of artillery

United States

M2 155mm "Long Tom" field gun

United Kingdom

17-Pounder Mk. I anti-tank gun

Germany

75mm PaK 40 anti-tank gun 88mm Flak 37 anti-aircraft gun

Japan

47mm Type 1 anti-tank gun

List of vehicles

United States

M5A4 high-speed tractor AM General M936A2 wrecker Dodge WC24 command car Dodge WC54 ambulance Ford GPW "Jeep"

Harley-Davidson WLA The Harley-Davidson WLA is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was produced to US Army specifications in the years during and around World War II. It was based on an existing civilian model, the WL, and is of the 45 solo type, so called due to i ...

Landing craft, vehicle, personnel (LCVP) M3A1 half-track personnel carrier M274A5 Mule

Germany

BMW R75 Opel Super 6 Scheuch-Schlepper Volkswagen Kubelwagen Typ 82 Kfz.1

References

External links

*
Paul Allen.com, page on collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum Aerospace museums in Washington (state) Military and war museums in Washington (state) Museums in Snohomish County, Washington Tourist attractions in Everett, Washington

History

List of warbirds

United States

United Kingdom

Soviet Union

Imperial Japan

Germany

List of tanks

United States

United Kingdom

Soviet Union

Germany

Japan

List of artillery

United States

United Kingdom

Germany

Japan

List of vehicles

United States

Germany

See also

References

External links