On Saturday, August 28, the museum will open early for a special presentation on how American pilots were recruited and trained during World War II. The museum's T-6 Texan and a Stearman PT-13D biplane will highlight the event, and will fly subject to weather conditions and runway availability.

Our PT-19 Cornell trainer will be on hand for a close look.

Photos provided by Rich Tuttle

There's no additional charge for this event — just purchase a ticket to the museum and arrive early so you can be in place for the presentation. Doors will open at 8 am. The event will be held at 9 am in the WestPac Hangar, located on the museum campus.

For information about tickets, go to:

https://www.worldwariiaviation.org/pr…/ticket-to-the-museum/

“Training to Fly and Fight” will be presented by Lt. Col. Don Johnson, a retired U.S. Air Force officer with 20 years of service and more than 11,000 hours of flight time. While on active duty, Lt. Col. Johnson was an instructor and evaluation pilot on the C-5 and C-21. As a reservist, he served for eight years at the U.S. Air Force Academy instructing cadets on unmanned aerial systems. Following his military career, he flew MD-88’s, MD-90’s and B-737’s for Delta Airlines for 13 years. Lt. Col. Johnson has been a docent at the National Museum of World War II Aviation since 2016.

The schedule for the event is as follows:

8:00 am Doors Open

9:00 am Presentation

9:30 am T-6 Walk-Around and Start-Up

9:45 am T-6 Taxi and Takeoff

For more information, contact the museum’s Front Desk at 719-637-7559.