The Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is hosting an Open House at Culpeper Regional Airport in Culpeper, Virginia on Saturday April 29th, 2023. The public will have the opportunity to take warbird rides, view one-of-a-kind aircraft on static display, see a helicopter demonstration flight, visit the aviation museum, enjoy a ride on a Ural motorcycle with sidecar, climb inside a B-26 machine gun turret, and purchase aviation-themed items at the PX.
Warbird rides will be available in a Fairchild UC-61 Forwarder (a 1930’s era, art-deco styled warbird which carries three passengers), a Boeing PT-17 Stearman open cockpit bi-plane, and a TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, the largest and heaviest single-engine bomber of WWII. Rides can be purchased at www.capitalwingwarbirdrides.org and any flights not booked in advance will be available on site during the event.
Visitors to the Capital Wing Open House will see two unique aircraft which are only rarely seen in flight: a Japanese Fuji LM-1 (one of only 4 flying in the world today) and a French Alouette II, the world’s first gas turbine-powered helicopter. The Alouette helicopter will make a demonstration flight at 12 Noon… and it is LOUD!
For those who want a unique coffee table decoration, the Capital Wing will be selling quite a few authentic, vintage aircraft instruments: altimeters, turn and bank indicators, rpm gauges, etc. These are not reproductions, but actual devices removed from warbird and civilian aircraft instrument panels.
Visitors can wander through the CAF Capital Wing’s large hangar and see the Vultee BT-13 Valiant under restoration to flying condition and also view artifacts in the museum. Outside, WWII reenactors in full gear will have an encampment set up.
The public is encouraged to bring children and grandchildren – they can climb inside the Martin B-26 machine-gun turret, ride in the Ural motorcycle sidecar, or go home with an airplane model from the PX.
The Capital Wing’s mission is to “Keep ‘Em Flying” to honor the many thousand Americans who built, serviced, and flew our warbirds when the nation most needed them.
The Capital Wing is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, staffed entirely with volunteers. For more information, please contact CapitalWingRides@gmail.com.
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
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