Friday, April 25, 2003
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Friday, April 25, 2003 |
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Dixie Wing Commemorative Air Force Museum unveiled
By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce arrived at the Dixie Wing Commemorative Air Force World War II Flying Museum Tuesday afternoon for a ribbon cutting welcoming them into the Chamber. The museum is located at Falcon Field in Peachtree City and is an educational resource for local citizens and students. The Dixie Wing is a local chapter of the Commemorative Air Force, which is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization that preserves WWII combat aircraft and teaches about the history of that era. There are over 10,000 members in 75 charters across the country and there are several chapters overseas as well. The Commemorative Air Force has 147 aircraft in their hangars. The group is made up of pilots, mechanics, students, veterans and other volunteers whose mission is to restore war planes from WWII and keep them in flying condition. Among the aircraft present at the Dixie Wing museum are the SBD Dauntless, the C-45 Expeditor, the PT-26 Cornell, the P-63 King Cobra and the LT-6 Mosquito/Texan. The museum is expecting to get a North American P-51 Mustang, the premier fighter of WWII, in June. The Dixie Wing is made up of 225 members from all over the state of Georgia. They participate in 30 air shows a year, including the annual Great Georgia Air Show. They meet on the third Saturday of each month at 4 p.m. and their meetings are open to the public. The museum's main function is its educational programs. Colonel Bill Baldwin is the educational program coordinator and he or one of the educational program volunteers, many of whom are WWII survivors, take classes or groups on a tour of the facility and give a 45-60 minute presentation on a variety of topics. There is a list of prepared topics that the group can speak on including "The Battle of Midway," "Royal Air Force in World War II," "Children in World War II Germany," "The Berlin Airlift" and "Pearl Harbor" among many others. In fact, one of the members of the Dixie Wing is a Pearl Harbor survivor. The Dixe Wing will host a WWII era swing dance on Saturday, May 10 from 6 p.m. until whenever. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door and proceeds will benefit the Dixie Wing Commemorative Air Force Museum. There will be a light buffet provided by Malone's, free swing dance lessons, WWII USO style decor, antique cars, WWII era aircraft, raffles and an auction. Music will be provided by Peachtree Jazz Edition and Robert Morgan, Captain of the Memphis Belle will be one of the guest speakers. Phone Colonel Bill Brady at 770-487-6558 or Colonel Jake Tryon at 770-304-9956 for more information. To get to the Dixe Wing Commemorative Air Force Museum, take TDK Boulevard to the four way stop sign at Dividend Drive. Take a left and then a right on to Falcon Drive. The museum is at the end of the first road on the left past the weather bureau. Visit www.dixiewing.org for more information.
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