Historic WWII aircraft land in Chicago area, offering rides to the public
DuPAGE COUNTY, Ill. - History emerged from the skies above West Chicago on Monday when some of the rarest vintage airplanes of World War II landed at the DuPage County Airport.
The flying museum will be visiting the Chicago area for several days, offering tours and even rides aboard the historic planes.
"This is the forward bomb bay of the B-29," said pilot Neil Broussard, as he showed FOX 32 around the historic plane. "You can see we have a few display bombs. These would’ve been 500 pound conventional bombs."
Broussard piloted the B-29 Superfortress nicknamed FiFi. It’s one of only two B-29’s in the world still able to fly.
"They were used and flown off of islands in the Pacific, and the goal was to be able to reach mainland Japan at the time to drop weapons," Broussard explained. "It’s a treat (to fly). It’s such a unique experience. I would say our main concern is protecting the aircraft."
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FiFi is part of the nonprofit Commemorative Air Force that landed at the DuPage County Airport on Monday, a total of five vintage World War II planes, also including a B-24 Liberator. There were 20,000 Liberators manufactured. This is the only one that’s still flying.
The people flying and maintaining the historic planes are mostly professional airline pilots and crews who volunteer for this work. They say they do it to honor, educate, and inspire people about the contributions of the greatest generation.
"We do that by taking these beautiful airplanes around and sharing them with people," said Commemorative Air Force volunteer Cheryl Hilvert. "The stories about them. How they were used in World War II. How they were built, often by women and family members here at home."
Most of those heros are long gone now. But every once in a while, someone will show up at one of these shows with a story to tell.
"We do still get veterans, of course many of them are now around 100 years old," said Broussard. "You just get this kind of surreal feeling of history and awe to consider what these people did. Their willingness to serve the country, their willingness to put their lives at stake."
The Commemorative Air Force will be stationed at the DuPage County Airport in West Chicago from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There’s a small fee to see the planes and go inside. And if you go to the group’s website, you can even book a flight on one of the big bombers.