Air museum to celebrate National Aviation Day
Eloise Ogden/MDN Warren Pietsch, local pilot and board member of the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, is the owner of this recently restored P-5. Previous owners of the plane include the late actor and World War II pilot Jimmy Stewart and the late famed racing pilot Jackie Cochran.
Eloise Ogden/MDN This P-47 owned by Bruce Eames is displayed at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. A World War II plane, it was recently restored.
Eloise Ogden/MDN Warren Pietsch, local pilot and board member of the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot, is the owner of this recently restored P-5. Previous owners of the plane include the late actor and World War II pilot Jimmy Stewart and the late famed racing pilot Jackie Cochran.
Eloise Ogden/MDN This P-47 owned by Bruce Eames is displayed at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. A World War II plane, it was recently restored.
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The flying of vintage planes and free plane rides will take place at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot on Saturday afternoon during its observance of National Aviation Day.
Robin Brekhus, air museum events coordinator, said vintage planes at the air museum will be flying from 2-4 p.m.
Also from 2-4 p.m., she said, Minot Aero Center will give free plane rides, first come, first served.
At 4 p.m., the drawing will be held for the air museum's sweepstakes plane. This is the 27th annual sweepstakes event.
Those attending the event also can visit the museum buildings.
Among planes on display will be a recently restored P-51 owned by Warren Pietsch, local pilot and member of the air museum board of directors. Restored by Air Corps Aviation of Bemidji, Minnesota, the P-51 has had a number of owners, including the late actor and World War II pilot Jimmy Stewart and the late famed racing pilot Jackie Cochran. The plane has set a number of records.
Another recently restored plane on display is a P-47 owned by Bruce Eames. Eames owns many of the vintage aircraft at the museum. The P-47 also was restored by Air Corps Aviation of Bemidji. Until the completion of its restoration, it was the first time the plane had been flown since its wartime crash in New Guinea in 1944.
Both the P-51 and the P-47 were flown and displayed at the annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held last month in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
The Minot air museum event on Saturday is free to everyone.
The next event at the air museum will be Women, Wine and Wings, focusing on women in aviation, on Saturday, Sept. 23.