FAYETTEVILLE -- Leaders of the Arkansas Air and Military Museum are hoping bikers will turn in their two wheels for two wings this weekend.
The nonprofit museum and Commemorative Air Force are teaming up for a second year to display and offer paid rides aboard several vintage airplanes.
At A Glance (w/logo)
Arkansas Air and Military Museum
The museum, 4290 S. School Ave., will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Sunday. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for children under 18 and free for children 10 and under.
Flights aboard the Boeing B-29 Superfortress are scheduled at 9 a.m. today and Sunday. Rides aboard other aircraft are available by request. Prices range from $75 to $1,495. Ride reservations can be made at AirPowerTour.org.
Source: Staff Report
At A Glance (w/logo)
Today’s Schedule
Venue Hours
• Dickson Street Beer Garden and Main Stage: 8 a.m.-midnight
• Baum Motorcycle Village — 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
• Washington County Fairgrounds Saloon and Campgrounds: 9 a.m.-midnight
• Arvest Ballpark and Beer Garden: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Events
• Habitat for Humanity breakfast, Dickson Beer Garden — 7-10:30 a.m.
• Stokes Air Bike Show and Battle of the Bikes: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Car Show, Arvest: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• Fayetteville Firefighters’ Poker Run, Baum: 8:30 a.m.
• Harley, Indian, Victory, Yamaha Demo Rides, Baum: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Ozark Vintage Motorcycles show, Arvest: 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Blues Train Shuttle, George’s to Baum round trips: 9 a.m- midnight
• Commemorative Air Force, Drake Field ($15 Admission): 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Music, Arvest: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• United FMX Stunt Team Show, Baum: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m.
• Karoake contest preliminaries, Fairgrounds: 2 p.m.
• Karoake contest finals, Fairgrounds: 4 p.m.
• Hambone Express Pig Races, Fairgrounds: 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
• Steak Cooking Championship, Arvest Ballpark: 3 p.m.
• Music on the Main Stage: 3:30 p.m.-midnight
• Parade of Power staging, Fairgrounds: 3:30 p.m.
• Parade of Power, Fairgrounds to Dickson: 4 p.m.
• Lawn mower pulls, Fairgrounds: 7 p.m.
• Miss BBB Contest, Main Stage: 8 p.m.
• Music, Fairgrounds: 8-11:30 p.m.
Source: www.bikesbluesandbb…
Most prominent among them is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, thought to be the only one of its kind still in operation.
According to Phil Pardon, a spokesman for the Commemorative Air Force, nearly 4,000 B-29s were built. The planes were used in the Korean War and World War II, including the missions in August 1945 that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
"When you're flying it, you think about ... what this airplane and the people who crewed it did to end World War II," said Matt Younkin, a co-pilot for the Commemorative Air Force from Siloam Springs. "It's awe-inspiring."
The B-29, called Fifi, that's visiting Drake Field was acquired by the Commemorative Air Force in the early 1970s. The plane was going to be used for missile target practice at the U.S. Navy Proving Ground in China Lake, Calif. The plane was extensively restored between 2006 and 2010. All four engines were replaced with custom-built hybrid engines.
John Wooley of Thermopolis, Wyo., said Thursday he came to Bikes, Blues & BBQ just to see the B-29 up close.
"I do a lot of black-and-white photos," Wooley said, "and I figured this might be my only chance to see one fly."
Seeing the airplane touch down was especially meaningful for Tom Alsobrook, 88, of Lowell.
The Air Force veteran piloted a B-29 in the early 1950s. He last saw one in flight about 1958, when the planes were being decommissioned.
Alsobrook smiled and paused Thursday when asked what it was like to see a B-29 again.
"Same as it was," he said.
The Commemorative Air Force also has a Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor, Boeing Stearman PT-17 and Fairchild PT-19 on display. Paid rides in the planes can be arranged by request.
Representatives for the museum, which has struggled for years to make ends meet, anticipate a big weekend.
Warren Jones, executive director, said he typically expects between 6,000 and 7,000 guests in a given year. Nearly 2,500 visitors stopped in during last year's rally, Jones said.
"We're trying to turn this place around," Jim Johnson, a former board member and museum volunteer, said.
Johnson has led an effort to turn the museum into a military surplus store just for the weekend.
Tables displaying hundreds of books and dozens of badges and medals, including a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star, have been set up in the historic White Hangar. Posters, uniforms and military equipment, including strobes, helmets, postcards, ration stamps, flags, decals and plaques are also for sale.
"We've got some great stuff here," Johnson said. Veterans and their families donated most of the memorabilia.
Johnson said all proceeds will be used to pay for operations at the museum.
NW News on 09/27/2014