The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Capital Wing announces its 2025 Warbird Tour Schedule including appearances at the MCAS Beaufort SC Airshow, Thunder Over Michigan Airshow, and in the New York City metro area at the Connecticut Air and Space Museum.
“Our mission at the Capital Wing is to keep our WWII warbirds flying to honor the thousands of men and women who built, serviced, and flew these vintage aircraft,” said Pete Ballard, Warbird Rides Coordinator of the Capital Wing. “Although we are based in Culpeper, Virginia, we take our warbirds on the road so as many people as possible can see and hear what WWII military aviation was like eighty years ago. In addition we offer rides in our warbirds at most of our tour stops,” he said. The Capital Wing Tour will make 21 stops from April through October in nine states. The full schedule of locations and dates the aircraft will be touring are available at the website HERE.
Warbird rides will be available in five different aircraft. Returning to the skies will be the TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, the largest and heaviest single-engine bomber of WWII, along with the combat-veteran Stinson OY-1, Coast Guard Fairchild Forwarder, Boeing PT-17 Stearman bi-plane, and fighter pilot trainer Vultee BT-13. Rides are priced to fit every budget from $50 to $1,100. Book flights in advance at the Capital Wing rides website, and any flight not sold in advance will be available for sale on-site during events.
“A warbird ride is an experience like no other and for most people it is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Ballard. “Every seat is a window seat and there’s no baggage to get lost. Where else can you fly in an aircraft that flew off the escort carrier White Plains in the south Pacific and conducted combat observation missions during the Battle of Saipan!”
At many Capital Wing tour stops the public will have the opportunity to get a close-up view of several static vintage aircraft including a rare Japanese Fuji LM-1 (one of only three in the world), a French Alouette (the world’s first jet powered helicopter), a North American T-6 Texan, and a Piper J-3 Cub, among others. Special media tours and interviews, and media rides depending on schedules, can be arranged. Contact Pete Ballard, Warbird Rides Coordinator, at [email protected] for more information, or visit the CAF Capital Wing website.
