Somewhere in Time

Heritage Museum takes flight

By Kaleb Gubernick Photo by Lyle Jansma · Wednesday, February 18, 2009

In an unassuming beige-colored building near Bellingham International Airport, the faint scent of oil and grease from rounds of aircraft maintenance wafts through the air. But the aircraft receiving upkeep aren’t the massive, run-of-the-mill Boeing 747s or 757s. The dull gray bombers, bright yellow and blue training jets and M*A*S*H*-style rescue helicopters are reminders of the veterans who flew them and the wars they fought in.

After a short hiatus, the Heritage Flight Museum has moved into its new digs and opened up shop to the public. The property holding the first incarnation of the museum was sold late last year, and, as such, the museum had to pack up and take their aircraft and memorabilia displays with it.

Originally founded by William Anders, an astronaut on the Apollo 8 moon landing mission and taker of the famous “Earthrise” photograph, the museum was previously housed in a corporate jet hangar with a small entryway, leaving the entire contents of the museum to be displayed in one large space and shuffled around as their planes continued to be flown. But now the static displays have found a home in the front room of the new facility with around half of the museum’s historic aircraft located in the back of the hangar.

Kate Simmons, the museum’s director of programs and administration, says the relocation of the museum has been a welcome change, even though it required a slight downsize.

“It’s all around such a vast improvement,” Simmons says. “It’s hard to know where to start gushing about it.”

The museum’s core is built around a tight-knit group of staff and volunteers all giving a helping hand in any way possible, such as Jeff Geer, a jack-of-all-trades volunteer at the museum.

Geer says he has been a pilot at Bellingham International Airport since 1985 and has always been involved in aviation in some form. In 2004, he met Anders and, over time, became a good friend. When he learned of the museum, he dove in head-first to help with information technology and general mechanical support along with a host of other jobs.

“I think it’s one of those things where I certainly had a diverse background of experience that I could lend a hand with, and I just jumped in and started helping out without even asking,” Geer says, laughing.

Both Geer and Simmons agree one of the most rewarding things about working with the Heritage Flight Museum is the appreciation they receive from the local veterans who stop by to reminisce about their past experiences with the aircraft. 

“For me, as a pilot, the thing I enjoy is that we have a lot of veterans that come through,” Geer says. “I spend time with the veterans and hear their stories. They’ve either flown on them or worked on them, and you see them light up.

“You can see them being transported back in time, leaning on the wing of the P-51 Mustang, and they kind of forget they’re 80 years old. All of sudden they’re 20 again and flying that plane. It’s absolutely a gift.”