HAZLE TOWNSHIP -- It's not too often you get to see World War II bombers at your local airport, but this week you can at the Hazleton Airport.
From a P-51 Mustang to a B-17 Flying Fortress, they're all here for this year's Wings Over Hazleton event.
The event runs through Wednesday at the airport in Hazle Township.
The event is organized by the Collings Foundation. The non-profit organization tours World War II aircraft all across the country.
"For kids they don't have a direct link to the war anymore. It's a video game or a movie or a couple pages out of a textbook. When they come out here they see it's the real thing," Jamie Mitchell of the Collings Foundation said.
The B-24 Liberator on display is the last of its kind that is fully restored.
Johnny Fazio, his son, and father made sure not to miss it.
"It's nice to honor the troops and we're trying to teach that to my boy. Both me and my father and uncle served, so it's tradition," Fazio said.
It's not every day that you get to go inside a military aircraft. People at the event said that's one reason why they come out each year.
"That way you get to see a piece of history you know. These airplanes are getting fewer and it costs a tremendous amount of money to keep them flying," Wayne Arner of Lehighton said.
The B-17 bomber on display costs $5,000 an hour for crews to fly.
If you want a private ride it costs $450 for a half hour. Even though most people stayed on the ground to take pictures, getting this experience is one they'll never forget.
"It just solidifies what our people, our citizens that did before us with their dedication to the service for this country. It's important that we continue to do this for future generations," Nick Fazio said.
Wings Over Hazleton continues at the Hazleton airport through Wednesday afternoon.
For more information you can visit this website.
