Vintage WW II aircraft coming to Westmoreland County in September

Area aviation fans who missed or did not get their fill of action during the Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow in June can mark their calendars for a visit by two rare vintage World War II warbirds at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport from Sept. 8 to 11.

The airport authority announced that the Commemorative Air Force AirPower History Tour will be at the airport offering tours and flights.

Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said longtime airport tenant Laurel Highland Jet Center is sponsoring the four-day visit.

The tour will bring Fifi, a B-29 Superfortress, and Diamond Lil, a B-24 Liberator, both renowned bombing aircraft from the World War II era.

The B-29 is a four-engine, propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that also flew in the Korean War. A B-29 dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II.

The B-24 is another four-engine bomber used during the war by U.S. and British forces.

Monzo said this is the first time the flying museum will be in the area.

He believes that completion of the airport’s $12 million runway widening and strengthening project in 2020 enabled the visit by the heavy bombers. The 8,224-foot runway was formerly 100 feet wide and was expanded to 150 feet.

“They never came here before. The B-29 has a wingspan of 141 feet,” Monzo said.

One aim of the 2020 project was enabling larger aircraft to use the airport.

The cost to attend is $20 for adults and $10 for 11- to 17-year-olds. Children 10 and younger get in free.

Don Armitage of Laurel Highlands Jet Center said a Beechcraft T-6 Texan and a PT-13 Stearman aircraft also will be displayed.

The T-6 was a single-engine aircraft used to train pilots of the U.S. Army Air Forces and Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. The PT-13 Stearman is a biplane that was a military training aircraft during the 1930s and 1940s.

“In addition to the rides, people who come will learn a lot about the history of all of these aircraft during the tours. We’re really looking forward to it,” Armitage said.

The B-29 and B-24 will offer one flight a day on Saturday and Sunday. Aircraft tours will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day when the planes are not flying.

Reservations can be made at AirPowerTour.org. Company officials were not available for comment.

The Dallas nonprofit claims on its website that it is “the largest flying museum in the world” and is an educational organization dedicated to honoring American military aviation history through flight, exhibition and remembrance.