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Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Chance of a Lifetime: SANFORD — Call it a flying museum or the chance of a lifetime, but area residents will have an opportunity to fly in a restored World War II-era bomber this weekend, when the Liberty Belle's national tour comes to the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport. Flights on the Liberty Belle are being booked now for Aug. 15 and 16, and are offered by the Liberty Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and maintaining the flying museum. Recent stops on its tour included airports in Connecticut and Virginia. After getting to know the Boeing B-17 aircraft and crew, Liberty Belle guests go airborne and, during most portions of the flight, are free to move around the plane and visit various crew positions — including the nose, cockpit, Bombay, radio room and waist gunner sections of the aircraft. Each flight accommodates seven guests and lasts about 45 minutes, with about a half hour in the air. Flights are $430 per person, or $390 for members of the Liberty Foundation, which uses tax-deductible contributions to restore, maintain and operate the aircraft. A special rate is available for groups of seven. Flights at the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport can be booked by calling 918-340-0243 or visiting the Liberty Foundation Web site at libertyfoundation.org. Several special events, including the Liberty Belle flights, are offered each year at the airport. Next on the calendar is "Family Fun Day," an day of aviation-related activities being planned for mid-October. Other popular events include the EAA Young Eagles, free flights offered by the national Experimental Aircraft Association to give youth a taste of aviation. The Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport is located at 700 Rod Sullivan Road, just off of U.S. Highway 1 at Exit 76 (Farrell Road), about 20 miles southwest of Cary.
Sanford Skies is an update on events and activities at the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport and is provided as a public service to friends of the airport and Lee County Economic Development. For more information about the airport and its services for corporate and recreational aviation in the famed Research Triangle Region, please visit sanford-leecoairport.com. |
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