Veterans from the Yakima Valley get a special treat this weekend. The McAllister Museum of Aviation will showcase a Stearman biplane. The plane visiting Yakima is one of three operated by the Ageless Aviation Dreams Foundation. It'll be in Yakima as part of the organization’s  program of  honoring seniors, especially United States military veterans by providing “Dream Flights” at no cost. A number of local veterans from area assisted living homes will have a chance to enjoy the flights this weekend.

The “Dream Flights” will be flown Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but on Saturday the pilot will take time out from that mission to participate in McAllister’s showcase.  The free flights for seniors will resume after the showcase presentation - which will last about an hour. The showcase starts at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning on the McAllister Museum ramp.

Stearmans were widely used by the military for pilot training in the 1930s and during World War II. The plane in Saturday’s showcase was built by Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, in 1942. After being declared surplus in 1945 it was used as a spray plane and later purchased for AADF.  It was fully restored around 2009.

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