Inside My Unforgettable WWII Flight Before The Duluth Airshow

I'm still flying high after yesterday's experience. I had the chance to fly in a World War II plane over Duluth ahead of this weekend's Duluth Airshow, presented by Essentia Health and Members Cooperative Credit Union. People ask me if I was nervous, and I might have been a little at first. But when I saw the condition of this airplane, I had no worries. This plane looked brand new!

The plane is a BT-13. My pilot, Jordan, said there are about 50 of them still flying today. The plane was used in Mississippi as a basic trainer for Army Air Corps pilots. (The Army Air Corps eventually became the Air Force.) It's operated by the Minnesota Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Ken Hayes

The plane trained aviators after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the United States entered World War II. It's a two-seater. The instructor sits up front, with the student in the back. Both seats have full controls and instruments. The canopy opens up, and it's standard to leave the canopy open for takeoff and landings.

Read More: P-38 Comes To Duluth Airshow For Historic Flyovers

My pilot, Jordan, and his son, Ethan, volunteer with the Commemorative Air Force. They had to do pre-flight checks before we could take off, and I asked if I could watch while they did it. They checked the fuel for contaminants and double-checked the fuel level with a dipstick-like tool. He checked all the flight controls and all the systems. Then I climbed in the back seat, and we fired up the plane, took off, and started our sightseeing tour.

We climbed to about 1500 feet and then flew along London Road down to the Aerial Lift Bridge. We did a turn around the lift bridge, and we couldn't have timed it better. The Wednesday night yacht club was out in their sailboats, traveling underneath the lift bridge. It was awesome.

From there we flew over my house in Superior. I was able to pull my phone out of the flight suit and sent a text to my daughter to tell her to go outside and look up. They snapped this photo of us flying overhead.

Ken Hayes

Before we made it back to the Duluth International Airport, Jordan let me handle the controls for a little bit. That was awesome! We did some banking, climbing, and descending, and then leveled it off.

When it was time to land, we did a military-style approach. Which basically means we turned tight into the airport and descended quickly.

The experience was phenomenal. It all went way too quickly, but fortunately I took a bunch of video and didn't lose my phone in the process. If you're ever in an open-canopy plane, don't stick your phone out the window, FYI.

You can see this BT-13 at the Duluth Airshow, along with a whole slew of other warbirds. The P-38 Lightning is coming to town, too. And of course, the main attraction is the Air Force Thunderbirds. We'll see you at the Duluth Air and Aviation Expo this weekend at the Duluth International Airport!