AirPower History Tour will bring WWII planes to Springfield

The AirPower History Tour will soon bring World War II aircraft to the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, including the B-24 Liberator “Diamond Lil”. Contributed/Commemorative Air Force

The AirPower History Tour will soon bring World War II aircraft to the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, including the B-24 Liberator “Diamond Lil”. Contributed/Commemorative Air Force

The Commemorative Air Force AirPower History Tour is planned for the Springfield-Beckley airport in Springfield on July 6 through 9.

Rides in historic World War II aviation are available July 8-9 to book in advance on Airpowertour.org. Prices range from $150 to $4,000 depending on aircraft, seat and duration of ride. Rides are either 20 or 40 minutes.

The CAF is a non-profit educational organization whose goal is honoring American military aviation through tours of flight, exhibition and remembrance.

Cockpit tours are available for the B-29 and B-24.

To view the aircrafts and get a tour of the cockpit, tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for youth, and kids 10 and under are free, 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Different days will have different aircrafts available to ride; the full schedule is on the CAF website.

The website calls it a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience, being able to “sit in the seat once occupied by a veteran and see and feel what they encountered . . . minus the bullets and flak.”

Aircrafts include B-29 Superfortress, B-24 Liberator, P-51 Mustang and T-6 Texan. The P-51 Mustang is the most expensive aircraft available to ride, at $2,500 for 20 minutes or $4,000 for 40 minutes.

To ride in the aircraft, riders must be at least 12 years old and physically able to climb in and out of the aircraft on their own.

The AirPower history tour will also travel to Dayton and Toledo, as well as nearby states Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The address for the Springfield-Beckley airport is 1251 W. Blee Road.

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