Three iconic vintage planes flew over Prince George on Thursday, Aug. 1 to provide an advance look at what to expect at the Masters of the Air Exhibition in Vanderhoof on Saturday.
The planes, a B-17 Flying Fortress, a P-40 Kittyhawk and a P-51 Mustang, were flying from Camrose to Vanderhoof and made a special flyover above the city before landing at the Prince George International Airport for a media-only event.
The Second World War-era B-17 came in first, landing at around 1:30 p.m. after circling the city. The P-40 and P-51 came in around 3:30 p.m. after a stop in Grande Prairie.
Members of the media and guests were given tours of the B-17, which, in the tradition of the Flying Fortresses, is nicknamed "Ye Olde Pub."
The plane, one of only three B-17s still flying, was piloted to Prince George by Glenn Pearce of Vanderhoof, a retired Air Canada pilot.
"It gives you a whole appreciation for what it was like these young lads that were in their teens and early 20s who went to war," Pearce said.
Masters of the Air happens at Vanderhoof Airport from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under and free for infants. Flights aboard the vintage planes are available at an additional cost.
Visit www.vanderhoofairshow.ca to book flights or for more information.
Paul Collard, president of the Vanderhoof Air Show Club, said this season's wildfires have meant the Vanderhoof Airport's resources are being used by fire crews, so it wasn't possible to hold a full-scale air show this year.
"In view of the fires and the fact that our airport is 50 per cent an effective fire base, we had to come up with ideas," he said.
Organizers got to work in January to organize a different kind of event. This year, visitors can take half-hour rides aboard some of the vintage aircraft while other events will be held on the ground.
"Also, this takes into account the cost," he added. "A conventional air show would have cost us $270,000 to $300,000. This is around the $120,000-$130,000 range."
To make it happen, the club reached out to a network of vintage plane owners and started finding aircraft that could take part. The planes - there will also be a Harvard and a Tiger Moth - come from the Erickson Aircraft Collection and Yellow Thunder.
Having the pilot of the B-17 come from Vanderhoof was an added bonus, Collard said.
"He has four-engine radial experience, which a lot of pilots don’t have these days," he said, describing the B-17's engines. "So he was a shoo-in to fly this thing.”
Pearce retired in 2020 after a 31-year career with Air Canada. Before that, he flew bush planes. "So it's great to be able to fly these warbirds at this stage of the game for me," he said.
The B-17 has a long wartime history, one Pearce enjoys reading about. "This particular plane is named after one called Ye Olde Pub, which is a great story," Pearce said.
It happened on Dec. 20, 1943 after U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Charlie Brown led a B-17F team in Ye Olde Pub in a bombing run on Bremen before German fighters swept in and left the bomber with heavy damage.
Luftwaffe pilot Franz Stigler gave chase. "He tried numerous times to shoot them down, and even landed, reloaded and went back up," Pearce said.
But Stigler reportedly noticed and respected Ye Olde Pub's crew's ability to keep the bomber airborne despite sustaining heavy damage and chose to escort it out of German airspace.
"When the (B-17) landed its tail fell off," Pearce said.
Brown later tracked down Stigler after 50 years and the two developed a friendship before both died in 2008.
Pearce said the story is inspiring, more so after flying a B-17 and experiencing the bare-bones experience of the plane that still inspires wonder.
Rides in this version of Ye Olde Pub and other vintage planes can be booked in advance or at the airport on Saturday. As an example of costs, Collard said a flight in the B-17 will run $750 per person, while there's one plane that will cost $250 for a flight. Tours will be available in addition to the flights, at $20 for a look inside the B-17. The proceeds from the flights go to the plane's owners and operators, not to the Vanderhoof Air Show Club.
While there won’t be a full air show, people will still get to see the planes flying as they take off and land for the flights.
"Vanderhoof has a real passion for aviation," Pearce said. "Other shows have been called off but Vanderhoof is going strong."
