Northwest Aerospace News August | September Issue No. 10 | Page 64

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Historic Flight Foundation
to Open Spokane Facility
By John Sessions
C
ulminating three years of reconnaissance
and planning, Historic Flight Foundation plans
to open a Spokane facility on October 18, 2019.
Construction continues at Felts Field, Spokane’s
first airport and home to many aviation enthusi-
asts. HFF/Spokane will emphasize aviation-based
STEM education, vintage aircraft restoration,
seminars on aviation history, and aircraft displays
and flight experiences. We hope it will become a
favored venue for quality public gatherings.
A membership organization, HFF began in 2003
as the John T. Sessions Historic Aircraft Foun-
dation. Over the years it qualified for section
501(c)3 status as a private foundation, and then
grew to become a public charity. The collection of
flying aircraft also grew.
From the outset, HFF has focused on the thirty
years between Charles Lindbergh’s famous solo
crossing of the Atlantic in 1927, and commercial-
ization of that route in pressurized jets in 1957.
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Naturally, with this “Golden Age Plus Jets” as its focus, the collection in-
cludes many examples of flying aircraft from WWII. Each aircraft in the col-
lection represents a quantum leap in an aspect of aviation technology, and has
an interesting backstory involving unique, hard-working, successful aviation
pioneers.
By 2015, HFF faced a dilemma. Its Paine Field facility was crammed full of
beautiful restorations. Hosting large groups of students had not been anticipat-
ed in the design — and approval of commercial service at Paine Field brought
with it operational constraints portending the end of large aviation festivals so
popular with HFF members, such as Vintage Aircraft Weekend. HFF’s board
decided to circulate a request for proposals to over twenty airports within 250
nautical miles of its base, all featuring runways of sufficient length to receive
HFF’s largest and fastest flyers. Culling by the board reduced the candidate
list first to nine, then to three finalists visited by a task force for further due
diligence and negotiations. Ultimately Spokane Airports made the most com-
pelling presentation based on its willingness to invest in a suitable facility and
improving market analytics suggesting a very receptive community. Signifi-
cantly, a dedicated group of top-tier vintage aircraft restorers welcomed HFF
to Felts Field. Their help will be essential to maintain the current collection
and any additions.