Eleventh Annual Peachtree City WWII Heritage Days
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, 2014
Atlanta Regional Airport - Falcon Field
1200 Echo Ct., Peachtree City
678-364-1110, www.dixiewing.org
Admission: $5
On MyAJC.com: Our weekly Go Guide, published every Friday
With the 70th anniversary of D-Day approaching, many local communities are planning World War II remembrance events. The local chapter of the Commemorative Air Force, based in Peachtree City, is starting the celebrations early by hosting a salute to the veterans and families of the Greatest Generation this weekend.
Founded in 1957, the CAF is an international organization with about 10,000 members who are dedicated to maintaining a vast collection of World War II fliers. For about 10 years, the CAF’s “Dixie Wing” has been housed at Falcon Field in Peachtree City. The unit’s 250 members maintain six functioning WWII aircraft. Its collection is part of a free museum that is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
“We get people from around the Southeast as members,” said Dixie Wing leader Jim Buckley, a retired Air Tran captain who has lived near Peachtree City for more than 30 years. “We are 100 percent volunteers who restore planes. We work on them not to be museum pieces, but to get them back to flying condition.”
To do that, the CAF attracts a cross-section of aviation experts as well as enthusiasts, said Buckley.
“We have a wide assortment of people; some are pilots, some mechanics, some automotive engineers and a lot of aviation buffs,” he said. “We brag that we have a job for anybody who comes here.”
For the last decade, the Dixie Wing has hosted Peachtree City WWII Heritage Days, a weekend-long event that draws crowds from around the state who come to examine the historic aircraft, antique cars and vintage military vehicles. They’ll also hear guest speakers, explore educational displays and watch demonstrations by reenactors portraying Allied and Axis troops.
“It’s not an air show, even though we will have some flying going on,” Buckley points out. “There are a lot of reenactors who bring their WWII equipment and have mock battles. We have vendors and swap meets for people looking for uniforms and equipment. In the evening, we even have a 13-piece swing band that plays for our dinner dance.”
This year, the wing is focusing on the contribution of women to the war effort, both at home and in the military.
“We have three women who will be here, one of whom was a ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who worked on the types of planes we have in our hangar,” said Jay Bess, the wing’s marketing officer. “We’ll also have as a guest speaker an active duty lieutenant colonel who is in command of an air wing at Warner Robins. And we have a group that will reenact the music of the Andrews Sisters.”
Interest in the time period has grown in recent years as more veterans pass away, said Buckley. “This is our last chance to honor them.”
About the Author
