Here in the east, we see and hear military helicopters and jets flying overhead almost every day. But the men and women who serve in our armed forces -- and the aircraft they fly -- will be on display this weekend in
The 2008 Sounds of Freedom air show takes off Saturday at Marine Corps Air Station New River.
Nine On Your Side's Philip Jones got a sneak preview Friday, and shows us how the show will serve as the meeting place for the past and the present.
The planes, the pilots and the pageantry -- they're what make any air show special.
But with a weekend of action in the sky, MCAS New River will serve as the crossroads between the present and the past.
“For me, the best part of a show like this is seeing the old World War II airplanes,” said (Ret.) Maj. Dan Keenan. “Seeing that P-51 mustang that's sitting out there, the B-25 that just landed. The T-28.”
Make no mistake about it -- Keenan doesn't have anything against the MV-22 Opsreys, the F-18s or the CH-53s.
But the old planes, like a 1955 T-28B hold a special place in his heart.
“I was one of the last people to get a chance to fly the T-28,” Keenan said.
While many eyes will focus on what's in the air over the weekend, Keenan spent Friday morning on the ground, getting reacquainted with a piece of his personal history.
Older planes like the T-28 are among the displays at the show.
Decades ago, Keenan piloted a plane like this one in flight school -- and Friday, for the first time in years, he slipped back into the cockpit.
“To be honest with you, after 30 years of not having been in the cockpit, I had a tear run down my eye,” he said. “I just couldn't help it.”
So if just for a moment, Keenan reclaimed some of the magic of his youth -- magic everyone can see this weekend both in the air and on the ground. Magic from the present and the past.
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