Terrell -- The 2012 Flights of Our Fathers Fly In, an event to honor World War II British pilots trained in Terrell and to salute U.S. veterans of all branches of the armed services, will be held Saturday, September 15, 2012. Weekend events include a reunion of men who were trained here and their offspring.
The origin of this annual event dates back to 1940 when war was ravaging much of Europe, although the U.S. had yet to commit its forces into combat. German bombers were conducting nightly air raids over London and it appeared a German invasion of the U.K. was emminent. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill turned to U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a clandestine pact was approved that would allow young British pilots to be secretly brought to the U.S. for training. One of those training bases was located in Terell, Texas.
The 2012 Flights of Our Fathers Fly In gets underway with a flag raising at 6:45 a.m. Saturday, September 15, followed by the arrival of aircraft and a tethered hot air balloon display from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.
A fly-over by the Texas V-Tails is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m. An airshow of radio-controlled aircraft by Texas Heatwave is set for 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and Re/Max Skydivers will jump from noon until 12:30 p.m. A flyover by Warbirds is slated for 1:00-1:30 p.m.
Other events planned for Saturday include static airplane displays, BBQ Cook-off, Classic Car Show, Food Court, Museum Tours, Kid's Zone, Texas Heatwave Aerobatic Team and a Dinner Dance!
For a complete schedule and more information visit www.bftsmuseum.org or call 972-524-1714