Area airplane enthusiasts will have a chance to indulge their interest before summer's end.
From August 3 through August 9, the Mason City Airport is hosting two World War II-era planes for residents to view and possibly even ride in: a B-17 Bomber and a P-51 C Mustang.
Sentimental Journey, the B-17 Bomber on display, flew unescorted bombing missions over Europe for much of the war according to Mesa, Arizona's Commemorative Air Force Airbase. On its site, museum officials note that though a total of 12,731 B-17s were produced by Boeing, Vega, and Douglas during the war, only five B-17s, including Sentimental Journey, continue to actively fly around the world.
As for the P-51C Mustang, it's a plane named for the Tuskegee Airmen (a Black unit that served in the war at a time when Black Americans in many states still dealt with Jim Crow laws). The Commemorative Air Force Airbase notes on its site that the "Tuskegee Airmen" plane largely flew stateside as a trainer before being declared "surplus" after the war.
Interested hobbyists will be able to view the planes from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
According to information posted by the Mason City Airport, those in attendance will also be able to ride in the planes but for a cost.
Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at [email protected] or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98.
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