Pangborn Memorial Airport celebrates Festival of Flight

EAST WENATCHEE — This year’s annual Festival of Flight at Pangborn Memorial Airport will be held June 21, presented by the City of East Wenatchee. You can come discover the valley's rich aviation heritage while enjoying a day filled with incredible airplanes, diverse food vendors, face painting, captivating exhibitors, and engaging aviation and Japanese cultural activities.

Commemorating a historic milestone, on October 3, 1931, Clyde Pangborn and Hugh Herndon embarked on the inaugural non-stop Trans-Pacific flight, departing from Sabishiro Beach in Misawa, Japan, aboard the airplane dubbed “Miss Veedol.”

Following a 41-hour journey, Miss Veedol made an emergency landing on the bluffs of East Wenatchee. This event forged a lasting bond between the Wenatchee Valley and Misawa, as well as the global aviation community. In celebration of this momentous flight, the Pangborn's Festival of Flight was established.

The history doesn’t end there, of course. The Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center has the propeller from the famous plane on display, as well as a half-eaten sandwich believed to have been aboard the aircraft during the flight. Whether or not this contributed to Pangborn Memorial Airport’s International Air Transport Association code of EAT is unknown.

But the tale is full of scandal and intrigue, and is better heard in person. From nearly crashing into Mt. Rainier to nearly traveling on to Boise but for the weather, the saga of Pangborn and Herndon’s historic journey is well worth bringing the family to come learn about.

The Festival goes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 21 at Pangborn Memorial Airport, and is free to attend.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media