WWII planes bring living history to RDU this weekend
A flying display that landed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Thursday will allow visitors to touch and see a little bit of history.
Posted — UpdatedDescending from the heavens, like a ghost from the past, was the B-17 Flying Fortress.
“She’s beautiful. Like a homesick angel, she hates coming down. I’m pretty sure they belong in the air, that’s what they’re for,” said aviation enthusiast Bill Kavanaugh.
Jim Boehling flew the B-17 from Richmond, Va., to RDU on Thursday. When he was in the Army Air Corps during World War II, a 19-year-old Boehling was forced to bail out of a B-17 over Europe.
“I pointed to my parachute and I pointed down. I went to the hatch to the left of me, opened into the slip stream and rolled out head first,” he recalled.
The mission was Boehling’s first, and he was the only survivor.
The Wings of Freedom Tour honors World War II veterans at a time when many in the country are pushing the lessons of why the heroes fought.
“I’m not sure we learned anything,” one veteran said.
The exhibit will be open from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Saturday and Sunday at RDU. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children.
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