Southeast : LAST SALUTE
The P-51 Mustang fighter, the Allied forces’ premier combat airplane in World War II, the B-25 bombers and about 90 other vintage fighting machines Monday roared out of Long Beach Airport, the first stop in a two-week cross-country air show to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the war’s end.
About 60 of the planes and their pilots landed Monday afternoon at the municipal airport in Glendale, Ariz., where they plan to spend the night before taking off today for El Paso, a spokesman said. Some of the old airplanes were forced to land for repairs before reaching Arizona, while others flew off for appearances elsewhere, he said.
Freedom Flight America, recognized by the Pentagon’s World War II Commemoration Committee as an official anniversary event, is one of the last opportunities for many aging World War II veterans to commemorate the end of the war. On Aug. 15, the 50th anniversary of V-J Day, the commemorative fleet will fly past the Statue of Liberty in a symbolic salute.
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