D-Day Flight Experiences Return At LI's American Airpower Museum

Farmingdale NY

19 July, 2021

3:06 PM

Description

FARMINGDALE, NY — Have you ever wanted to get a feel for the experiences of a D-Day pilot? Living history flight experiences are coming back by popular demand at the American Airpower Museum (AAM) in Farmingdale. A day-long program is scheduled for July 31 with a rain date of Aug. 1. Four flights were held on June 12, and, given the success of the experience, the museum will hold more. The Museum's WWII Douglas C-47 Skytrain Troop Transporter — "The Gooney Bird" — along with AAM's professional reenactors, will once again offer a realistic recreation of what U.S. Airborne Paratroopers felt on their historic D-Day mission. Three flights are set for July 31, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with a fourth available to meet extra demand. Seats are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. To book a flight, people can call 516-531-3950, visit the museum's gift shop or call 631-454-2039, between 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. AAM is based at Republic Airport, Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale. A C-47 flight costs $350 and is a family-friendly experience for all ages. The program lasts roughly 90 minutes and each flight takes 25 minutes. A flight experience allows guests to bring an additional person who can visit the museum free of charge. For anyone who just wants to visit AAM on July 31 to watch the flights and tour the museum, admission for adults is $15; $10 for seniors and veterans, and $8 for children ages 5 through 12. No tickets or pre-registration is necessary for regular admission. "AAM's Flight Experience is a one-of-a-kind immersive educational program, where reenactors take you up in AAM's original WWII C-47 to give a sense of what U.S. 101st and 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers experienced on their incredible 1,200-plane D-Day assault," the museum wrote in a statement. Reenactors are led by Robert Scarabino, a WWII living historian who has organized AAM's C-47 D-Day Living History Flight Experiences since the program's inception in 2003. Each experience includes: a mission briefing in the ready room; a chance to wear authentic military field jackets, helmets and gear; the actual sights and sounds as the C-47's engines fire up and you're off into the blue; see, hear and feel the crew operating their C-47 and paratroopers getting ready for battle; plus those on board actually line up and attach their hooks to the overhead static line. No jumping is allowed. Three WWII veterans are set to attend the C-47 D-Day Flight Experience, joining airborne living historians and immersing themselves in the sequence of events, including marching with guests out to the C-47 for photo opportunities. Veterans will reflect on and share their WWII memories. They are: Gene Leavy, 95, of East Northport, U.S. Army 100th Infantry Division, 398th Regiment, Battle of the Bulge; Joseph Salvatore Randazzo, 95, of West Babylon, U.S. Army 75th Infantry Division, 291st Regiment, shot in Germany near Dortmund; Dr. Richard Heinl, 96, of Syosset, U.S. Army 94th Infantry Division, 376th Regiment. The 94th was part of Gen. George Patton's Third Army. "This is a wonderful way to educate all ages about America's Greatest Generation heroes and help carry their legacy forward," the museum wrote.