June 4th, 2024 by WCBC Radio
Culpeper, VA – The Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will present a Warbird Showcase at the Greater Cumberland Airport Saturday and Sunday June 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking and admission are free.
Warbird rides will be available in three different warbirds. A Stinson OY-1, a Fairchild UC-61 Forwarder which carries up to three passengers, and a Boeing Stearman open cockpit bi-plane. The public can book any ride at the Capital Wing bookings website https://www.capitalwingwarbirdrides.org/ and flights not sold in advance will be available for sale on site during the event.
“We bring our Warbird Showcase to airports in the Mid-Atlantic region to honor the thousands of men and women who built, serviced and flew the warbirds that participated in WWII,” said Pete Ballard, Warbird Rides Coordinator of the Capital Wing. He further commented “People who come out to the Cumberland Airport will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to share in history. Eighty years ago, to the day, June 15 and 16, 1944 our Stinson OY-1 was flying combat observation missions for the US Marines at the Battle of Saipan in the south Pacific. So this warbird is a very rare aircraft.”
In addition to the flying warbirds, there will be several aircraft on static display. Headlining this list will be the 1942 Douglas C-53 “Beach City Baby,” a military transport version of the iconic Douglas DC-3 airliner. It will arrive at about 10 a.m. Saturday with a pass down the runway before parking on the ramp where it will be open for tours for a nominal donation.
Other static aircraft will include a rare Japanese Fuji LM-1, one of only three in the world, a French Alouette II, the world’s first jet-powered helicopter, and a Cessna 182 of the Civil Air Patrol.
From 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. the flying warbirds, Stinson, Fairchild, and Stearman will be static and available for docent-led tours for a nominal donation.
Other attractions at the Warbird Showcase event include the Capital Wing PX (Post eXchange) selling military and aviation themed items, and a B-26 twin 50-caliber machine gun turret. Lunch is available at the Hummingbird Café at the airport.
The Greater Cumberland Airport is conveniently located off I-68 at 165 Terminal Loop at the end of Steckley Road in Wiley Ford, WV. The airport is located across the Potomac River from Cumberland in WV. For more information email CapitalWingRides@gmail.com.
