By Bill Stansbeary
Greg Anderson, Wings Over the Rockies president & CEO, greets Bill Bower, one of the original “Doolittle Raiders.”
On June 24, a hangar dance sponsored by Wings Over the Rockies and held at International Jet Aviation Services at Centennial Airport paid tribute to WWII veterans. Co-chairs Peter and Betsy Luce and Charlie and Gayle Johnson invited aviators to take a “Sentimental Journey.”
Aviation personalities such as Bill Bower of the Doolittle Raiders were on hand to honor our aviation heritage and support its future, as was a B-17 Flying Fortress. A 17-piece orchestra, Nostalgia, played the big band sounds of WWII, while the Perfect Landing provided “USO-style” food. Citizen Heroes provided military vehicles and personnel.
Greg Anderson, president and CEO, and Matthew Burchette, director of operations/curator, provided a preview of Wings Over the Rockies’ expansion plans at Centennial Airport. The world-class facility will complement Lowry’s military heritage, while stimulating the minds of the next generation for the new frontiers in air and space. Plans are underway for this new museum that will feature runway observation areas, aircraft accessibility, ongoing educational outreach programs, rotating interactive exhibits, restaurant, a widescreen theater, and active flight operations from a “living hanger.”
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- J. Clark Hearn, (standing fourth from left), in front of the B-17, leads the Citizen Heroes to preserve history for present and future generations.
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- Charlie Johnson, Wings Over the Rockies board member, checks out the cockpit of a B-17.
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- Matthew Burchette, Wings Over the Rockies director of operations/curator, is also a member of Citizen Heroes, an organization with the goal of preserving history.
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- Carl Williams, in the cockpit of his Alexander Eaglerock biplane.