Courtesy Duluth Airshow and the Commemorative Air Force
P-51C Mustang, seen here over Mississippi, is the plane flown in World War II by the Tuskegee Airmen, including Joe Gomer of Duluth.
Astronaut Gregory H. Johnson will participate in the Duluth Airshow that runs September 22 and 23 at Duluth International Airport. Gregory, who piloted the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour, will take part in activities in the NASA Educational Hangar Saturday, September 22, and will speak at area high schools Friday, September 21.
Courtesy NASA and Duluth Airshow
NASA astronaut Gregory H. Johnson, who piloted the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour, will take part in the 2012 Duluth Airshow, September 22 and 23.
Courtesy Duluth Airshow and the Commemorative Air Force
P-51C Mustang, flown by the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, will be featured at the Duluth Airshow.
At previous Duluth Airshows, NASA displayed moon rocks, parts of space shuttles and also space suits to help educate people about space travel, but this is the first time an astronaut has attended. The show will feature many American aircraft, ranging from World War II fighters and bombers to the modern era. One is a rare P-51C Mustang with its bright red tail – the plane flown by the famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II.
This group of African American pilots flew more than 15,000 combat sorties and earned many medals and designations. “The P-51C was the best plane I and my fellow pilots ever flew, and seeing it always brings back memories of friends, and of keeping our B-24 bombers safe,” says Joe Gomer of Duluth, one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
The P-51 coming to the Duluth Airshow is named Tuskegee Airmen and was restored by the CAF Red Tail Squadron, a nonprofit and volunteer-driven organization that’s part of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).
Among other aircraft slated for the show are the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, a Russian MiG-17, U.S. Army Golden Knights, U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight, B-25 Bomber, and a Czech MiG-21. For more information or tickets, go to www.duluthairshow.com, or call 218-628-9995.
