The nonprofit group Capital Wing, an affiliate of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), is offering once-in-a-lifetime plane rides.
CAF maintains the largest collection of flying WWII warbirds in the world. And on Saturday, June 28, Capital Wing will be offering rides in a WWII TBM Avenger torpedo bomber at Leesburg Executive Airport, located at 1001 Sycolin Rd.
“We’re excited to participate in the Smokehouse Pilots Fly-In at Leesburg Airport [on] Saturday, June 28, where the public can see dozens of general aviation airplanes, a UH-1H Huey helicopter from Liberty Warbirds, in addition to the Capital Wing warbirds,” Pete Ballard, Capital Wing Warbird Rides Coordinator said in a news release.
Ballard said that on the morning on June 28, Capital Wing members will fly in a rare Japanese Fuji LM-1, one of only three still flying. The TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, the largest single-engine bomber of WWII, will be arriving in the afternoon for warbird rides.
“Riding in the TBM Avenger engages all your senses: sight, sound, smell, and touch. You become a part of the warbird. You experience living history,” Ballard said.
TBM Avenger rides can be purchased in advance online. Flights not sold in advance will be available on a walk-up basis at the airport. “Very few warbirds fly two people at the same time in the same aircraft. Our TBM is one of them,” Ballard said.
Feature image of TBM Avenger courtesy Commemorative Air Force
