NEW ORLEANS, LA. — A walk through of American history.
Massive war planes sitting at the Lakefront Airport this weekend as families take a trip to the past. These spectacular aircrafts were brought in from Houston by the Commemorative Airforce.
“The Commemorative Airforce is a national organization, and we acquire and restore and fly vintage military aircrafts for the purpose of public education and recognizing the veterans who flew them,” said Nancy Kwiecien, Executive Officer of the Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Airforce.
There were several vintage planes on display, but the main attraction was a massive B-17 flying fortress named The Texas Raiders. This aircraft was manufactured in 1945 and made its debut just weeks after the end of World War II.
As attendees stepped into the plane, they stepped back in time, envisioning what these brave soldiers endured as they fought for our freedoms.
The pilots of these planes are in awe of what our military heroes have sacrificed.
“It’s just an honor to get to fly this thing. I’ve been crazy for the B-17 since I was a little kid in school, reading the history books,” said John Bixby, pilot of the B-17.
The event, a learning moment for younger generations, as they traced the footsteps of our military heroes.
“To put your hands on a 50-caliber machine gun and know that you stood in the place where an 18-year-old kid from a farm in Alabama went into combat…and that’s a very real lesson.” said Kwiecien.
