By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Sound of Speed AirShow got underway Friday at Rosecrans Memorial Airport in St. Joseph, and it runs through Sunday.
This year's show features several different aircraft from the World War II era, and those planes have rides available for purchase.
Matt Cooper is a volunteer pilot with the Experimental Aircraft Association and will be flying a B-25 over St. Joseph skies this weekend.
He says purchasing a flights one of these historic aircraft is a unique experience.
"We're going to have the B-25, B-17 and B-29 offering rides for sale for short hops around the local area," Cooper said. "About 20-30 minute flights depending on the aircraft. Chance to come out and experience history firsthand."
Gates open for the AirShow from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday. The Sound of Speed AirShow Facebook page has links available to purchase tickets for the show and to purchase airplane rides.
This is the first time that the AirShow is a Warbird Fly-In event, with a heavy focus on education and preservation of aviation history.
Among the aircraft being featured is a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber - a twin-engine aircraft that was used extensively in WW2 by the United States - perhaps most notably in the Doolittle Raid on Japan in April 1942.
A seemingly small response to Pearl Harbor that saw 16 B-25s drop bombs over Tokyo. Experimental Aircraft Association pilot and historian Tom Ewing says that mission changed the entire psyche of the war.
"The Japanese population had been promised that they would never be bombed," Ewing said, "and nobody could reach the mainland of Japan. Next thing you know, there's B-25 reigning down bombs."
The show will also feature the B-29, B-17 and some smaller aircraft like the SNJ and T-6 Texan.
Cooper says people who see these planes up close and ride in them always enjoy their experience.
"I think everyone comes away with a big smile on their face," Cooper said. "We've never had a disappointed customer. It's a chance to experience history firsthand and get an idea of what was sacrificed for us."
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