This week, aviation enthusiasts around the world are celebrating the 100^th Anniversary of manned flight, and remembering the Wright Brothers’ historic lift-off at Kitty Hawk.

Staff members at the King County International Airport (KCIA) are participating in a local celebration of aviation history with the greater Highline community on Tuesday, Dec. 16. The program will also mark the modern-day debut of long-lost film footage shot 75 years ago, when Boeing Field first opened.

"When our staff was preparing to move into new offices in the renovated passenger terminal at Boeing Field a few months ago, a mysterious reel of 16mm film was found in a box under someone’s desk," said Bob Burke, KCIA division director. "We didn’t realize what a treasure we had discovered, until we were able to convert it to video tape."

The 100 feet of film features images of the opening day of Boeing Field back in July 1928. Planes – now considered vintage – fly through the air. Crowds swarm the aircraft on the ground. And, old-style title boards tie the scenes all together. It can be viewed online.

"The few people who have viewed the four-minute video are amazed. They have never seen anything like it locally," said Burke. "It is a unique window into our aviation history in the Northwest."

KCIA staffers have no idea who shot the film, or how it came to be forgotten in a dusty box. They also believe it may be just one reel of many shot on that historic day. Since it was discovered in October, the reel has been carefully preserved and copied.

That video will be one of the highlights tomorrow at the community program – "The Past, Present and Future of Aviation – which will be held from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the Highline Performing Arts Center, 401 S. 152^nd St., Burien. The event is co-sponsored by KCIA, the Highline School District, and the Highline Historical Society.