Historic warplanes fly over North Texas for Memorial Day
ADDISON, Texas - To kick off the Memorial Day weekend, a collection of historic warplanes flew over North Texas Friday morning.
Addison’s Salute to Heroes was a tribute to essential workers and veterans for Memorial Day. It featured warplanes from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum’s collection including a B-25, a P-40 and a Beechcraft Starship.
A Cessna T-37 Tweet was also part of the formation. There are only two left in the United States that are still flying.
The pilots said it’s an incredible experience to fly the aircraft and Friday’s flyover was even more special because they got to honor heroes in the community.
"This is a tribute to all the veterans who have supported the United States and of course all the first responders," said Service Air Corps pilot Rick Evans.
"For almost five years now we've been recognizing veterans primarily by honoring them with a memorial flight," added Eric Stroud, another Service Air Corps pilot. "Now it's unique to have appreciation for healthcare workers who've been on the front line."
The flyover was different than the Blue Angels flyover a few weeks ago. It was a rare chance to see the vintage planes in the air.
“These are the grandma planes. They’re a little slower. You’ll actually be able to see them a little better. Some will be in formation but a lot of them will just be a line of really amazing old warbirds and more recent unique planes,” said Addison spokeswoman Mary Rosenbleeth.
The formation circled seven area hospitals and then flew down Belt Line Road and DFW National Cemetery. They flew once more over Addison before landing at the airport.
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison was closed during the pandemic but is now back open.
LINK: cavflight.org