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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,713 posts)
Fri Oct 10, 2014, 11:32 AM Oct 2014

Updated: World War II Planes to Fly Over Arlington Saturday

Last edited Sat Oct 11, 2014, 03:15 PM - Edit history (4)

From an email I received Friday morning:

More than 30 airplanes built for World War II will conduct a large-formation flyover of the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery this afternoon.

Today's ceremony will celebrate the North American Texan plane's 75th anniversary. This afternoon, at approximately 12:30 p.m., the planes will reach Arlington by way of a flight path that follows the Potomac River, according to the North American Trainer Association (NATA), which is coordinating the event. More than 15,000 Texans were built between 1938 and 1947, and according to NATA, more than 400 of them are privately owned and still in flight. The Texans were the most popular plane used in American fighter-pilot training in the 1940s and 1950s.

The formation is expected to be visible from much of Arlington and Alexandria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_T-6_Texan

Hat tip, ArlNow.com:

Dozens of WWII aircraft to fly in formation over Northern Virginia today

Posted: Friday, October 10, 2014 6:00 am

Look up in the sky around lunchtime today and you may get to see a large collection of World War II aircraft flying over in formation. ...
It’s called the Potomac Flight, and it will involve about 30 planes flying in restricted airspace over the Washington area to honor the nation’s veterans. The “once in a lifetime” event kicks off the 15th Annual Culpeper Air Fest this weekend, according to a news release.

The Potomac Flight aircraft will leave Culpeper Regional Airport around 11:30 a.m. and fly in formation along the Potomac River through Northern Virginia, soaring over Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon around 12:30 p.m.

The flight route will take the formation first near Manassas, Woodbridge, Clinton, Md., Oxon Hill, Md., and Andrews Air Force Base, and then over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The formation will then begin its return to Culpeper as it flies over Arlington, Annandale, Burke and Manassas.

Aircraft in the formation will include a B-25 bomber, a P-51 Mustang and approximately 28 T-6 Texans. During the flyover, you may see “performance smoke” used as part of the demonstration. ... The flight was coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense and the Transportation Security Agency.

For more information, see Culpeper Air Fest.



Culpeper Air Fest

Update, 12:44 p.m. New window: 1:30 to 1:55.

https://twitter.com/search?q=PotomacFlight

Updated, 1:21 p.m. Due to the rain, the flight has been called off for today. They'll try again tomorrow.

Updated, Friday, 1:21 p.m. Due to the rain, the flight has been called off for today. They'll try again tomorrow.

Updated, Saturday, 3:15 p.m. No flight today either, because of the rain:

Weather cancels #PotomacFlight for today. Final attempt tomorrow btw 11AM - 3PM. Will give weather updates tomorrow morning.
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