LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A 1942 WWII Boeing Stearman open cockpit bi-plane from the Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force will be available for "warbird rides" at the Lancaster Airshow in Lititz this Saturday and Sunday.
The all-volunteer non-profit aims to keep WWII warbirds flying to honor the thousands of men and women who built, flew, and serviced the aircrafts.
"This beauty is called a steerman and it was built by the Boeing airplane company back in 1942," said pilot Lee Fox. "Its main purpose was to train aviation cadets who were learning how to fly."
Guests of the airshow will be able to take a ride in the sky with warbird rides.
"A warbird ride is a 30-minute experience from the time you meet the pilot, get in the cockpit, we start the engine. [It's a] 15 to 18 minute flight and then we come back," explained Pete Ballard, the warbird rides coordinator.
"An open cockpit plane like the Stearman... I like to say you know you're alive when the wind is going through your brain!" said aircraft maintainer Randy Jennings. "You experience history, you smell it, you feel it, you touch it."
And for those with doubts about the safety of the ride due to the aircraft's age, think again.
"People think [that] because it's old it shouldn't be flying but actually this one gets a lot more attention than most airplanes," said Fox. "This airplane has been completely restored."
The aircraft is also more than just a piece of history.
"For me, personally, it connects me with my dad," explained Jennings. "My dad soloed in the Stearman, he was a Mustang pilot with the 8th Air Force during the war so it's a very strong personal connection. When I help load a 100-year-old veteran on a plane like this, I try not to choke up."
Pilots say that experiencing a piece of history move through the sky is unlike any feeling.
"It could be hanging from the ceiling in a museum and everyone goes, 'Oh, wow! What a cool plane.' Or you can actually sit in it, hear what it sounds like, experience the sights and sounds and smells and the open cockpit... it absolutely cannot be described," said Fox.
He adds that customers always agree.
"Everybody has the same reaction," Fox recalled. "We call it a Stearman's smile, it's that irrepressible little smile they try to hide it but it's like, "Wow, that was really cool! I'm so glad I did that!'"
For those interested, warbird rides run through Sunday at the Lancaster Airshow at the Lancaster Airport. For more information, click here.