June 5, 2000 Mid-Atlantic Air Museum's WWII Weekend

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by	Peter Yost
	Photographs by Peter Yost

About the Author ... Peter Yost earned his Private Pilot certificate the old-fashioned way by handpropping a Taylorcraft BC-12D at a small grass airstrip in southeast Pennsylvania. He has since added a Commercial Glider rating to his collection. As an aerospace engineer, Pete works in developing safety equipment for civilian and military aircraft. So far in his career, he has worked on projects with all branches of the military, with NASA and most major aerospace companies in the U.S., and with companies in England and in Russia. He has been a member of the EAA, Soaring Society of America, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for over 20 years. Much of Pete's flying these days is of the short, up-and-down variety as a tow pilot with the Philadelphia Glider Council.

Though Friday was hot and humid, thunderstorms rumbled through the area on Friday evening to clear out the sky for the rest of the weekend events. If taking a ride in a B-17, watching a P-51 strafe the field, or buying WWII collectibles in the flee market wasn't enough to satisfy your WWII appetite, then attendees could also listen to the riveting stories of pilots who flew these famous warbirds in combat. Among those heroes giving daily briefings to the public were Col. Charles McGee, a Tuskegee airman who flew in three wars, and Col. Robert Morgan, pilot of the B-17 "Memphis Belle." GA pilots who want to experience the sights and sounds of this growing event next year can check out the WWII Weekend web site for information on flying your own plane to Reading.

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