World War II planes to take flight at American Airpower Museum

The American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale continues its “Warbird Weekends” series on Saturday with rare aircraft, including the museum’s vintage World War II bombers and fighters, taking flight at Long Island’s only flying military aviation museum.

Included in the museum’s flying fleet are a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber, the same kind used in the daring “Thirty Seconds over Tokyo” raid undertaken by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle and the Doolittle Raiders on April 18, 1942, as well as a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber — like that flown by the late President George H.W. Bush in World War II.

The museum also operates flights with its Douglas C-47B Skytrain transport, like those used to fly paratroopers to Normandy, France, during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, as well as a North American P-51D Mustang fighter, a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter, a North American T-6 Texan trainer and a WACO UPF-7 biplane. The public can even arrange to book a flight on some of these aircraft, weather permitting.

The museum entrance is located along New Highway, just south of Conklin Avenue. Admission to the museum is $15 for adults, $12 for veterans and seniors, and $10 for children age 5-12.

For more information visit the website at info@americanairpowermuseum.org or call 631-293-6398.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”