HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you'd like to reach out and touch some vintage World War 2 airplanes this weekend, then head to the executive airport in Meridianville Jacques Robitaille explains the mission of this traveling aviation history tour.
“Well, Commemorative Air Force is an organization that operates World War two vintage aircraft. We fly around the country during the summer months with the intention of keeping the memory alive, keeping them flying. Our mission is to honor, educate, and inspire, to honor the men who flew them, the women that built them to educate the public on the role they played in the war and how important they are to it in securing our freedoms.”
The centerpiece of the tour is "Fifi" the B-29 bomber.
“Of the 4000 B-29 that were manufactured, there are two that are currently flying. The claim to fame for the B-29 is that they were the aircraft that dropped the atomic bombs and brought the war to a conclusion.”
WWII Airplanes
The B-29 is an important part of history and this weekend visitors can get a feel for the inside of this plane.
“When the bombers are not flying, we offer cockpit tours so people can get up close and personal to the airplanes. They can go inside the airplanes toward the bomb bay, go up into the cockpit, and get a real sense of what these airplanes were like for the young men that flew them back in the day.
I was curious, how does such a monstrous war machine come to be named Fifi?
“In the mid-1970s, a gentleman by the name of Victor Agatha came looking for a B-29 to restore and to fly as part of the Commemorative Air Force. He is the gentleman that's most responsible for recovering and restoring Fifi. His wife's name was Josephine, and her nickname was Fifi. So that is what we have on the airplane.
While we are here in Huntsville each day, we have smaller aircraft a T6 Texan, we have a Stearman a P51 Mustang is coming in later. They will be offering rides each day on demand. The bomber is set to fly two flights a day on Saturday Sunday and Monday.”
It's hard to realize the sheer size and scope of this airplane. So I walked along the plane to understand it’s size.
I want to start in the back at the rear mounted gun and we're going to go on a little bit of a tour. We’re just going to walk along this plane. And while I'm going walk along this massive plane, I really just truly want to encourage you to come out to the Huntsville Executive airport this weekend. They're going to be out all weekend and just stare at these truly beautiful, amazing planes and think about the impact that this B-29 and all B-29s had on World War two.
If you'd like to take a ride in one of these planes you can purchase a ticket online!
A Personal Touch
Some folks have come to the Huntsville Executive Airport to take a trip through history and gain an understanding of what their family may have experienced. We talked to one woman whose grandfather actually flew one of these planes and trained aspiring pilots.
We spoke with Matthew Hood a Pilot Mechanic with the Commemorative Air Force, but a commercial pilot in his day job. We also spoke with Tracy from Danville whose grandfather used to fly one of these planes.