Organizers call it the largest barnstorming event in history. Military and airline pilots in their spare time have banded together to honor living members of the Greatest Generation, by giving them free rides aboard restored, open-cockpit Stearman biplanes.
Waylaid this season by the cornonavirus, the Dream Flights group aims to launch the new ride series, Operation September Freedom, next year.
“We had to suspend the flights this year due to COVID, but we are starting now to find veterans,” said the group’s founder, Darryl Fisher. “It will take several months to canvass the country to find them.”
The mission is named for Sept. 2, 1945, when Japan surrendered in World War II. Each biplane ride will carry one World War II veteran aloft for 20 minutes, soaring 1,000 feet into the air.
During prior runs, the Dream Flights pilots universally have received thumbs-up reviews from their passengers.
The veterans arrive at various airports for their flights in groups of eight to 10 people, accompanied by family, friends, health providers, and often a color guard.
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