The "Lady in Blue" is just one of three of her type still flying, and she had to wait about 10 years to join that elite group.

Last Saturday, the SBD-5 Douglas Dauntless, based with the Dixie Wing of the Confederate Air Force at Falcon Field in Peachtree City, roared off the runway to cheers from spectators braving a chilly wind to see the World War II dive bomber aloft.

Dixie Wing pilot Mike Rettke was at the controls, reporting after the half-hour flight that "it felt great." The plane did a wide oval "race track" pattern over Falcon Field at 170-180 miles per hour at an altitude between 3,000 and 3,500 feet. It was trailed by Dixie Wing member Joe Fagundes in another WWII plane, a 1943 SNJ-5; he said the in-air perspective gave him chills and that "everything seemed to run perfectly."

The Dauntless was restored by the CAF after having been grounded in 1990 with severe fuel tank problems. The plane was completely disassembled and rebuilt to manufacturer's specifications. The test flight last week gave the chance to check out all the gauges and find out where the minor corrections need to be made, according to the Dixie Wing's Jim Friday.

The Dixie Wing restoration project was originally led by Tex Layton and is now coordinated by Rettke. Thousands of hours have been donated by wing members, and about $100,000 spent on the restoration of the Dauntless. Friday says the authenticity is unrivaled, with accuracy "right down to the panels." Some instrumentation was added to meet current FAA requirements, he said, because the wing expects the rare aircraft to be in high demand for air shows and military events around the country.