WWII aircraft rumble over Tucson
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Paul Ingram/TucsonSentinel.comThe B-25 Mitchell known as 'Maid in the Shade' is one of several restored WWII-era bombers and other aircraft flown by the Commemorative Air Force and available for tours and flights this weekend at Tucson International Airport. -
Paul Ingram/TucsonSentinel.comMike Muller, a volunteer and current 'loadmaster' on the B-25, points out the names of B-25 veterans who have signed the bomb bay doors. -
Paul Ingram/TucsonSentinel.comA C-47 Skytrain once used in North Africa and Yugoslavia during WWII before she was repurposed for use as a corporate plane for the Hoover vacuum company. -
Paul Ingram/TucsonSentinel.comVolunteer and 'Colonel' in the CAF David Baker wipes down 'Maid in the Shade' after her flight.
A squadron of WWII-era airplanes arrived at Tucson International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, as part of the Commemorative Air Force, a group of volunteers who restore and fly aircraft from the era.
While the main attraction is "Fifi," a silvery-skin B-29 Superfortress, the squadron also flies a venerable B-25 Mitchell, a C-47 Skytrain, and a biplane called the Pt-17 Stearman.
While "Fifi" had yet to show, owing to her "diva-like" quality, volunteer and current "loadmaster" Mike Muller walked over to his airplane, a B-25 Mitchell known as "Maid in the Shade."
Painted with a young women in shorts lying on a Mediterranean beach, "Maid in the Shade" was named because she was rebuilt under the shade of a new hanger for the group.
It took 18 years to fully restore what was once destined for scrap metal into an aircraft that could be flown across the country, Muller said.
Muller pointed out names written inside the bomb-bay doors by former pilots and crew members who had flown on B-25 Mitchells during the war, including one veteran who had flown in "Maid in the Shade" during combat when the bomber was used to attack railroad bridges in Italy. Other veterans, including survivors from the audacious "Doolittle" raid have also signed their names.
Another airplane, the tail-dragging C-47 Skytrain, was painted in desert colors, owing to her use as a cargo and troop transport first in North Africa and then in secret missions to support partisans in Yugoslavia. Inside, however, the Skytrain had couches and a sound system, owing to her renovation as as corporate plane for the Hoover vacuum company.
The group will offer tours in all the planes at Tucson International Airport from Thursday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The charge is $10 for adults, $5 for children age 10-17 and children under 10 are free.
The public can also purchase rides in the airplanes through the CAF website or by calling 480-924-1940. Costs for each aircraft vary from $175 to fly in the open cockpit of the Pt-17 Stearman and $1,495 to fly in the bombardier's seat of the B-29.
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