It was a very hot and humid day for going out to the Wings of the North Air Expo in Eden Prairie, however, I made the effort anyway, and it was well worth the effort. Not like it was really that great an effort.
Please note, getting good pictures was at times difficult as people tended to hang around the aircraft, as they were not roped off. On the flip side, it’s far better than no pics at all.
Where aircraft are concerned the B-17 Flying Fortress was the star of the expo, with rides being offered at $400 per person, which is more than a bit out of my price range right now. It would be worth it, though. I tried to catch the announcements, and it sounded like expo announcer said that there are only twelve of these incredible aircraft left in flying condition.
Here is a series of shots of the B-17, Yankee Lady.
Preparing for take-off.
Preparing for takeoff with T-6 Texan coming in for landing. I thought this one looked rather cool.
Close-up of nose art.
Left side of fuselage.
Right side of fuselage.
The co-star of the event was the B-25, Miss Mitchell. she is a local favorite based out of St. Paul, Minnesota, and is part of the Commemorative Air Force.. Rides on her were offered at $295, which is still out of my price range. Maybe next year.
The B-25, Miss Mitchell.
Close-up of nose art.
Mission markings.
Here is the B-25 coming in for a landing.
One plane that brought back memories for me is the F-86 Sabre. There used to be one in a park across the street from where I lived in Madera. It was cool to see on here today. The F-86 Sabre was the champion of the Korean War, and ruled the skies during its heyday in the ’50s.
This Spitfire was one of the cooler fighter planes on display.
Not to mention this P-51 Mustang, dubbed “Little Horse.”
There was also this Grumman Wildcat.
And a number of T-6 Texans.
T-6 Texan coming in for a landing.
T-6 Texan on runway.
There were quite a few other aircraft there, from helicopters to jets, biplanes and seaplanes. Not all of them were up in the air flying, at least not while I was at the show. Also, there was a World War II re-enactment area, with a variety of military hardware and uniforms to check out.
Also in attendance were many of the members of VMF-214, the Black Sheep Squadron of World War II fame, as well as several cast members from the ’70s TV series, a number of Pearl Harbor survivors, and several combat aces from various eras. Oh, yeah, B-24 pilot, and former U.S. Senator George McGovern.
It was a fun day, and somehow I managed to get a few good pics out of the day. Something to put on the calendar next year, and maybe with a bit of better planning will get some friends out there as well.
