The sound of World War II aircraft will once again be heard at the Pratt Regional Airport when the Commemorative Air Force co-sponsors a fly-in at the airport.

The event will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 and will feature two World War II vintage trainers furnished from the CAF Jayhawk Wing out of Wichita, said Reid Bell, Pratt Regional Airport Manager.

Col. Chuck Chauncey, a WWII B-29 pilot that flew over 20 missions over Japan, is expected to be in attendance to answer questions about flying the B-29. Aircraft rides will be available at the event.

The CAF is bringing A T 50 Bobcat trainer and a PT 23 Primary Trainer to the event. Rides are available in both aircraft. Rides in the PT 23 are $100 and rides in the T 50 Bobcat Trainer are $225. The T 50 can hold three passengers so the $225 can be split three ways, said John Bartholomew, Vietnam veteran and CAF recruiting officer.

The CAF will also have memorabilia on sale at the event.

“I’m really excited about it,” Bartholomew said.

Efforts are underway to locate a local service group that would be willing to prepare a pancake breakfast for the event. The breakfast would run from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and would be free to the event pilots with a charge to the public set by the group serving the breakfast, Bell said.

Any organization interested in hosting the pancake feed at the airport should contact Bell at the airport at 672-7571.

The Commemorative Air Force will bring a grill and prepare hamburgers and hotdogs for a $5 lunch meal deal from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event help the CAF conduct events like this and helps with the maintenance of their 160 vintage WWII aircraft at CAF locations across the country.

The fly-in is expected to bring a number of pilots to Pratt. It’s good way to bring people to the airport and Pratt. It provides good exposure to the airport, its improvements and the availability of business space at the airport. 

A fly-in provides a good excuse for pilots to get out and go flying and this event will help raise awareness of Pratt.

“Any time private pilots have a reason to fly is a good thing,” Bell said.

Besides bringing out of town pilots to Pratt the fly-in also draws locals out to the airport to not only see the aircraft but to get re-acquainted with the airport.

“The community becomes more aware of their own airport,” Bell said.

The event will be advertised at airports through out the state and is expected to draw pilots from around the region.

The CAF is one of the largest air forces in the world. Started in 1957 with a single P-51 Mustang and a small group of ex-service pilots from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. Now it has about 9,000 members from every state and 28 foreign countries. They have a fleet of almost 160 airplanes representing 60 different types including not only WWII era aircraft but also from other later conflicts and from several foreign countries.

The CAF mission is to acquire, restore and preserve a complete collection of combat aircraft in flying condition as a way to perpetuate the memory of those who flew in defense of the U.S.

The Pratt Regional Airport started life as the Pratt Army Airfield. It was completed in 1943 and was the first training field for B-29 pilots and crews in the world. The field was active from 1943 to 1946.

Among the many that trained in Pratt was Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the B-29 Enola Gay that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.

The USO was also active in Pratt and played host to many entertainers including Bob Hope.