Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Mario Rivera parachutes to the ground on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. Rivera parachuted out of a plane at the Veterans United Home Loan's Fly Into the 40s event.There's a simple way to make a veteran grin -- give him or her a ride in a World War II-era biplane.
For the second consecutive year, Veterans United Home Loans hosted a Fly Into the '40s event Saturday at Jefferson City Memorial Airport.
The event featured displays of dozens of vintage military jeeps, trucks, trailers, airplanes and other vehicles.
But the highlight for the event, and the reason it has been held the past two years, is the chance for veterans to receive free flights in Stearman biplanes. Boeing Company in Wichita, Kansas, built the planes, which were used for training pilots during World War II.
And unlike last year's event, which was limited to only World War II veterans (as part of Operation September Freedom), this year's event was open to all veterans.
Operation September Freedom was an effort to give about 1,000 World War II veterans Dream Flights during August and September.
The first of Saturday's Dream Flights went to David Bonnot of Jefferson City. Bonnot said he served in the U.S. Navy from 1955-58, which he called a "quiet time." The United States wasn't involved in any fighting then, he said.
"The flight was fantastic. I never thought that I would get to ride or fly in a Stearman," Bonnot said. "That was a dream come true. You would say I enjoyed every minute, but I enjoyed every second."
The 85-year-old was airborne about 20 minutes. He said his flight went east past the state prisons, then returned and went a little west of the Capital.
"It was fantastic. I wish we could have stayed up even longer," Bonnot said. "It was beautiful. I'd go again if they'd ask me -- in a minute."
The 2021 event was incredibly successful, according to Veterans United Home Loans communications specialist Chad Moller. For 2022, organizers hoped to make the event bigger and better. It remained free to the public. Veterans United partnered with the National Guard and others to offer more unique machinery and aircraft for the public to walk around and view.
Darryl Fisher, president and founder of Dream Flights, said Dream Flights flies all over the country honoring senior veterans who have given so much for us.
"We thank them for their service by giving them a flight in one of these biplanes," Fisher said.
Veterans United team members volunteered Saturday to assist veterans getting into and out of the airplanes, which made pilots' jobs much easier, he said.
Fisher said 891 World War II veterans who received flights during Operation September Freedom signed his plane's tail.
"We barnstormed the entire country. We had every one of them sign the tail," he said. "Now, any World War II veteran that we fly, we have sign the tail."
Russell Boudria of Jefferson City an Air Force veteran, served from 1964-69. He had been a member of a crash rescue team in the service.
"I've flown in just about everything you could imagine, but I've never flown in one of these," Boudria said before boarding a Stearman. "I've been flying most of my life. So (the open cockpit) doesn't bother me. I've never ridden in a biplane, so this is very interesting."
Dennis Wilson of Dexter grinned as he got off a Stearman. He explained that his sons, who live in Columbia, invited him to come up and stay with them during the weekend. He later learned they intended for him to come down to Jefferson City and ride in one of the biplanes.
"I didn't realize it was happening until I got here today," said Wilson, who served in Italy during the Vietnam War era. "This was fantastic. It was absolutely great. Just having the pilot and these other guys do it all. It was just an absolutely wonderful trip. We went down the river."
The Capitol looked a lot different from the air, he said.
"I saw lots of places where I've been on the ground," Wilson added. "It's a different view from up there."
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Ben Murray, 12, Steven Primo, 13, and Dalton Timm, 13, check out a vintage military vehicle on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. Bob Ablen owns the vehicle and showed the kids the different parts of it and how it worked.
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Vintage planes line up on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. The planes were part of the Fly Into the 40s event by Veterans United Home Loans. There were numerous vintage planes and military vehicles. Military veterans and seniors were also offered rides in select biplanes.
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Britt and Candy Smith look at a vintage plane on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. The Fly Into the 40s event had multiple vintage airplanes and military vechicles to look at.
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Pilot Gary Zenishek gives veteran Marvin Seifert a ride in his biplane on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. After the ride, Seifert said that he had never been in a biplane and that it was a wonderful experience.
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Attendees of the Fly Into the 40s event sit inside an airport hangar on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. The event was hosted by Veterans United Home Loans. The organization Dream Flights provided military veterans and senior with a ride in a Boeing Stearman biplane.
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: Kat Grones climbs out of a plane on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. Grones' father is the pilot of the plane and she is working on getting her Second-in-Command license to fly with him.
Eileen Wisniowicz/News Tribune photo: A vintage U.S. Army plane flies over spectators on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 at Jefferson City Airport. The plane was one of many vintage planes that were a part of the Fly Into the 40s event hosted by Veterans United Home Loans.