Whidbey Island pilots practice Thunder Run disaster response drill

When ferries, roads or medical transport fail, Whidbey Island can be cut off fast, and Thunder Run is designed to confront that reality. The annual drill, which has been run since 2009, put South Whidbey Flying Club pilots in the air on June 14 to practice how general aviation could keep emergency services moving during a disaster.

One of the most watched flights belonged to Scarlett, the club’s well-known red Cessna 150 Aerobat. McKaela Meffert flew the plane with 17-year-old student pilot Kailea Bravo aboard, and the pair made their first Thunder Run round-trip from Whidbey Airpark to Skagit Regional Airport. The flight was more than a milestone for two young women stepping into the cockpit together. It was a test of whether island pilots can move quickly and confidently when the usual routes off Whidbey are disrupted.

Thunder Run is part of Northwest EVAC, which sits inside the national Emergency Volunteer Air Corps network. Island County’s Department of Emergency Management says it coordinates preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery for natural and man-made emergencies and disasters, and the county’s earthquake planning puts the emphasis on life safety, stabilization and protecting or restoring roads, streets and public utilities. County materials also warn that earthquakes can damage bridges, highways and the flow of services and goods, exactly the kind of breakdown Thunder Run is meant to help communities plan for.

The exercise has also become a practical supply line drill. Island County’s 2025 event listing described Thunder Run as an aerial resupply exercise tied to the Disaster Air Response Team and the Washington Counties General Aviation Response Plan, with CERT, ICACS and MRC volunteers involved. A 2026 event page said the drill at W10 Airpark, also known as Whidbey Airpark, was meant to strengthen response capabilities and resiliency during a large-scale disaster. The county’s 2025 flyer said food moved in the exercise is flown from hub airports across Washington State, with past support from Oregon and British Columbia.

That logistics piece is not theoretical. Earlier coverage said thousands of pounds of food were delivered to food banks across the island, underscoring that Thunder Run links aviation practice to everyday survival. In that larger story, Fred Lundahl remains central. He has taught more than 200 students over 60 years, was named outstanding flight instructor in 2019, and said six students were under his wings the year before while he logged about 100 to 150 hours of flight time.

Scarlett has become part of that local flying culture. Earlier reporting identified it as a 1975 Cessna 150 Aerobat with fluttering blue eyes painted on its canopy cover, and a 2023 profile said Lundahl co-owned the plane with Rowen Simpson. For Whidbey, Thunder Run is not a showpiece. It is a rehearsal for the moment when the island needs aviation to do the work roads and ferries cannot.