(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The Airpower History Tour is coming to the Colorado Springs Airport from Wednesday, Aug. 28, to Sunday, Sept. 1, bringing the sights, sounds, and stories of World War II (WWII) aviation to life when the B-29 Superfortress “FIFI” along with a T-6 Texan and an RC-45J Expeditor land.
The event, which tours airports across North America, is presented by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). Visitors will have the opportunity to view all aircraft up close, purchase rides, and tour the B-29 cockpit in between flights.
The B-29 Superfortress, “FIFI,” is the largest and most technically advanced aircraft of its time, and was first flown in 1942, beginning active service in the US Army Air Corps in 1944. It is known as the aircraft that helped bring the war to an end with its mission flying over Japan. It was also flown in the Korean War in the early 1950s and was used in the U.S. Air Force until 1960. “FIFI,” one of only two B-29s still flying, was acquired by the CAF and began touring in 1974, entertaining air show audiences ever since.
The North American T-6 Texan was an advanced flight trainer that introduced new pilots to a complex aircraft with speeds of over 200-plus miles per hour. Known as the “Pilotmaker,” it prepared them for the planes they would fly in combat in WWII. The Beech SNB is a US Navy/Marine plane produced from 1937 to 1970 and used for light transport, and photoreconnaissance, as well as navigation, bombing, and gunnery training.
The CAF has become the world’s largest flying museum, collecting and flying WWII aircraft for over six decades. With a fleet of over 170 WWII airplanes and 12,000 volunteers, CAF is dedicated to honoring American military aviation through flight, exhibition, education, and remembrance.
The public is invited to attend the event at the airport’s Cutter Aviation FBO ramp, located at 5763 Camber View, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Wednesday through Sunday. Supporting aircraft will be offering rides each day, and FIFI flies on Saturday and Sunday at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Cockpit tours of the B-29 will be available each day beginning at 9 a.m., except on Saturday and Sunday, when they will begin at noon.
Access to the ramp is $20 for adults, $10 for youths ages 11 through 17, and free for children 10 and under. Rides may be booked in advance at www.airpowersquadron.org/colorado-springs-co, or click on the link above, though act soon as rides are already selling out.
