Mustangs and Legends Gather, Warbird Fans Marvel

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Key Takeaways:

  • The "Gathering of Mustangs and Legends" event took place from September 28-30 at Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, OH, drawing large crowds under perfect weather conditions.
  • A highlight of the event was a historic formation flight of 20 P-51 Mustangs spelling out the number "51" for the attendees.
  • The gathering featured around 100 Mustangs and other era fighter/bomber aircraft, along with 51 "Legends," including original members of the Tuskegee Airmen.
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There is little doubt that the throaty groan of a Rolls Royce Merlin engine powering a restored example of the sexy P-51 Mustang is a unique and unmistakable sound. The only thing that could possibly be more arousing to a warbird fan than that sound might be the sound of 20 P-51s in a history making formation flight, spelling out the number “51” as it over flew a huge crowd at the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends held September 28-30 at Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, OH.

The weather was perfect for the entire event, and crowds of thousands gathered early to await the gate’s opening each morning at 8 a.m. Around 100 Mustangs, plus other fighter and bomber aircraft from the era, and 51 “Legends” were in attendance, including several original members of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famous all-black fighter squadron who flew Mustangs on bomber escort missions during the war.

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