As America celebrates the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in August, two of the most famous airplanes of that war – the P-51 Mustang and the B-25 Mitchell Bomber — will be featured at the New York Air Show on August 29-30 at Stewart International Airport.
The P-51 Mustang was the superfighter of its day and was key in the allies achieving air superiority in both the European and Pacific theatres. The P-51 represented a giant leap forward in speed and maneuverability, something that will be on full display as The Horsemen P-51 flight team flies aerobatic and precision formation flight during the New York Air Show.
The B-25 Mitchell Bomber was a workhorse for the Army Air Corps and was made famous in April 1942 when Lt Col James “Jimmy” Doolittle led a daring raid on Tokyo launching his squadron of B-25s from an aircraft carrier just months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Pilot and owner Larry Kelley will fly his B-25 “Panchito” in the show.
“The New York Air Show is honored to be able to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II before the thousands of people that will be on the flight line at Stewart International Airport,” said Bryan Lilley, President of the New York Air Show. “We’re also pleased that the public will have the opportunity to travel back in time and actually fly aboard the B-25.”
The rare opportunity to fly aboard a B-25 and see what it was like to fly in the aircraft that was made famous by the daring Doolittle raid on Tokyo is being provided courtesy of the Delaware Aviation Museum Foundation. The flights will be out of Airborne Aviation at the airport and will be available August 28-30 for a donation of $425. To reserve a seat on Panchito call (443) 458-8926 or email panchitoB25@aol.com.
The New York Air Show will also feature demonstrations from four branches of the U.S. military including the Marine Corps’ Harrier Jet, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, the Navy’s F-18F Super Hornet and the Navy Seals Leap Frogs, as well as the Army’s West Point Parachute Team.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.AirShowNY.com or call (877) 766-8158. Tickets for the Flight Line Club VIP are also still available. Volunteers are the heart of New York Air Show and more are still needed to be part of the event team. To volunteer, visit www.AirShowNY.com and click on the Volunteer Tab.