Locals Ride WWII Model Planes Over Hattiesburg - WHLT 22 Connecting the Pine Belt

Locals Ride WWII Model Planes Over Hattiesburg

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The three World War II era aircrafts that were scheduled to land in Hattiesburg Monday, finally flew in Tuesday with a big crowd of spectators waiting for their arrival.

A B-17, B-24 and a P-51C were delayed because of rain in Hattiesburg and from their departure city of Pensacola, Fla.

Louis George, Vietnam War veteran road in one of the planes. He says this gave him a chance to see first hand what it was like to be and a bomber during the 1940s.

"Those were some of the best pilots, best military personnel," he said. "These gentlemen that flew these planes during that World War II time did a magnificent job, and I hope that the younger generations coming up will follow in their foot steps."

From the inside, there's all kinds of equipment just like what the soldiers used back in the day, and it's nothing like a standard passenger plane.

"Going up in the nose of it you've got the place where the gunners sat," said George

The Wings of Freedom Tours are all done by the Collings Foundation. Mac McCauley pilots the B-17. He said he never knew he would end up in this seat as a young boy.

"The first model I ever built when I was a kid was a B-17 and now I end up flying a B-17," he said.

McCauley said he hopes most people take away the educational value of these tours.

"It was such an important part of history back in those days," he said.

However, George said the view alone is worth the flight.

"This flight was magnificent," he said.