PORTAGE, Mich.,-- A Portage Air Zoo guide and former World War ll bomber pilot took a trip down memory lane Wednesday as a 91-year-old vet took to the skies on a historic flight to the Portage Air Zoo.
It was an emotional experience for Paul Smith, who was able to fly in the exact same model plane that brought him home safe from the war every single time.
Wednesday afternoon, the former bomber pilot flew aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber for the first time since completing 30 bombing missions in Italy 70 years ago.
"It was quite exciting, it brought back mostly fond memories," Smith said.
Wednesday's event was made possible by the Portage Air Zoo and the Collings Foundation Winds of Freedom Tour.
Paul, his wife and his son were flown down to Indiana where they were joined by World War Two-era planes. A restored B-17 Flying Fortress, a P-51 Mustang and the B-24J Liberator heavy bomber.
Fox 17 was told the bomber was famous for its ability to sustain damage and accomplish missions during the war.
Paul and his guests were able to sit in the gun turrets, the cockpit and explore the different areas of the plane.
"It was quite crowded. It's no American Airlines, it's all steel and wires and everything else around you. You hesitate to move because you don't know what damage you can do," Smith said.
It was an experience Paul, spectators and the rest of the Air Zoo will never forget.
"It's incredible, the idea of sitting in there thinking about the 18, 19, 20-year-old kids who were sitting in those same seats back in the 1940's preparing for battle, to be shot at, all types of things. The bravery, the courage, all the things they were feeling when you sit there and realize you're in that same fuselage as living history," said the CEO and president of the Air Zoo, Troy Thrash.
The three World War ll aircrafts are scheduled to be at the air zoo Wednesday through Friday. Flights and tours are available to air zoo guests for a tax-deductible fee.
For further information on both of the Collings Foundation and the "Wings of Freedom" tour, call Hunter Chaney at 800-568-8924.
