The Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is bringing its WWII Warbird Showcase to Warrenton-Fauquier Airport on Saturday and Sunday, May 22 and 23.
Residents in Northern Virginia will have the opportunity to buy a Warbird Ride in one of three vintage aircraft as well as get up close to static displays. A BBQ lunch will be available for a nominal charge from the Warrenton Airport Boosters.
“Warbird rides are an opportunity for the public to sit in the same seats as did the crew of our aircraft in WWII. And feel the same power of the engines at take-off just as they did. And smell the same smells they did,” said Pete Ballard, Warbird Rides Coordinator for the Capital Wing. “Providing these warbird rides is a part of the CAF mission to honor the thousands of men and women who built, serviced and piloted the vintage WWII aircraft we keep flying.”
The Warrenton-Fauquier Airport is located on Iris Trail off Route 610 in Midland. Parking is free, and entry to the Warbird Showcase is free. The event will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Flight adventures may be purchased in advance at www.capitalwingwarbirdrides.org/ for any of the three WWII warbirds: Stinson L-5 Sentinel forward air controller, Boeing PT-17 Stearman open cockpit bi-plane, and the TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, the largest and heaviest single-engine bomber of WWII.
Flights not sold in advance will be available for purchase on-site the day of the event.
In addition to seeing vintage airplanes in flight all day long, there will be numerous static displays including a Bell UH-1 Huey helicopter that flew in Vietnam provided by the Vietnam War and Foreign Conflicts Foundation, a 1946 Fairchild F24/UC-61 Forwarder airplane, and various US Army reenactors representing WWII and Vietnam.
Also on display will be a very unique Cessna 162 Skycatcher with a “shark nose” provided by Aviation Adventures flight school.
(And yes, you can learn to fly in that airplane.)
For those who want to experience what it might have been like to fly a WWII assignment in the TBM Avenger, the Capital Wing offers a comprehensive “Torpedo Mission” experience which includes a mission profile, aeronautical map of the flight area, a flight suit for the duration of the flight, and an extensive pre-flight briefing by the pilot before taking off in the TBM Avenger.
This is probably as close to piloting the torpedo bomber as one can get.
The Capital Wing and the Commemorative Air Force are non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations and ticket purchases may be tax deductible. Questions may be directed by email to [email protected]
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