WHAT: “The Arsenal of Democracy: World War II Victory Capitol Flyover”
WHEN: Friday, May 8, at approximately 12:10 p.m., the first formation at 1,000 feet will fly over the Lincoln Memorial. At 12:35 p.m., the Missing Man Formation will fly over the Lincoln Memorial to conclude the flyover. Rain date is Saturday, May 9.
The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) is unique in that not only are there exhibitions inside the museum, but they literally take to the skies.
On May 8, a very special show will be held over the National Mall. The best viewing for this will be in Southwest DC at NASM or around the Tidal Basin.
The event is a commemoration of Victory in Europe Day (May 8, 1945), the day of the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces.
Seventy years later, on May 8, 2015, a large formation of World War II fighters, bombers, trainers, and transports will fly over the National Mall to honor veterans.
The aircrafts will fly along in historically sequenced warbird formations representing the war’s major battles, from Pearl Harbor to D-Day, and conclude with a missing-man formation to “Taps.”
To best follow this event, Smithsonian has produced World War II era airplane spotter cards, similar to what the soldiers used, which you can download or view on your smartphone (at airspacemag.com/spotter), to help identify the aircraft flying overhead.
During the event, follow along on Twitter at @airspacemag and #WW2Flyover
The museum will present a collection of audio clips focusing on the “World War II Victory Day Flyover,” which will be available for a limited time. Visitors will be able to hear historic news reports of the events that inspired the flyover, listen to curators spotlight participating aircrafts, and hear World War II era musical selections. The audio clips will be offered online in the days leading up to the event and available to stream on visitors’ mobile devices during the flyover.
OTHER EVENTS: Preceding the flyover will be a ceremony at the National World War II Memorial from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
“Fly-In to Victory Day,” a family day at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A number of the aircrafts participating in the flyover will be on display and there will be activities for all ages. Event is free but parking is $15.
More information is available at http://www.airspacemag.com/