To honor the heroes who fought in World
War II (WWII) and those on the home front who produced the tanks,
ships, and aircraft that enabled the United States and its Allies to
achieve victory, one of the most diverse arrays of World War II
aircraft ever assembled will fly through Loudoun County, Va., on Friday
before passing over Washington, D.C. for the main event. The
flying formation, known as Arsenal
of Democracy World War II Victory Capitol Flyover, is celebrating
the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.
The flyover will include dozens of WWII aircraft flying in 15 historically sequenced warbird formations overhead. The formations will represent major battles from Pearl Harbor through the final air assault on Japan, and concluding with a missing man formation to “Taps.” Never before has such a collection of WWII aircraft been assembled at one location, to honor the large assemblage of veterans gathered at the WWII Memorial for a ceremony.
The flyover will include dozens of WWII aircraft flying in 15 historically sequenced warbird formations overhead. The formations will represent major battles from Pearl Harbor through the final air assault on Japan, and concluding with a missing man formation to “Taps.” Never before has such a collection of WWII aircraft been assembled at one location, to honor the large assemblage of veterans gathered at the WWII Memorial for a ceremony.
The DCNewsroom blog in Purcellville, Va., will make “an attempt” to provide live video of the flying formations as they pass over Loudoun County. Check the “Live Video Events” page for details.
The first formation is estimated to be over the Lincoln Memorial at 12:10 p.m. EDT on Friday. The Arsenal of Democracy aircraft will depart from Culpeper Regional Airport and Manassas Regional Airport about 40 minutes before the flyover begins. These aircraft will then proceed to a holding point about 10 miles west of Leesburg where they will begin the flight down the Potomac River towards D.C. As they approach the Lincoln Memorial, they will turn East and proceed down Independence Avenue. At the completion of the flyover of the WWII Memorial, the aircraft will turn south and begin their flight down the Potomac River and back to their original airports.
On Saturday, a selection of the planes will be featured at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport for a one day exhibition. The display will be open to the public 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. No advance tickets are required.
Stay tuned to the DCNewsroom for updates.
