This past weekend saw the tenth annual WWII Weekend encampment and fly-in at the "Reading Army Airfield," or as most civilians call it today, Reading's Carl A. Spaatz airport. Organized by the Mid Atlantic Air Museum, this edition of the popular gathering of WWII aficionados was the largest ever, with over 70 military aircraft on the ramps and in the sky, 600 re-enactors scattered throughout various "encampments" and 120 military vehicles — from Jeeps to tanks — on display for close-up inspection.
June 5, 2000
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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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 
