Waukegan air show keeps aviation history alive

Walking into Paul Wood’s hangar at the Waukegan Regional Airport is kind of like walking into a museum of military flight history in the U.S.

Actually, it’s exactly like walking into such a museum. Wood is the founder, curator and lead enthusiast for the Warbird Heritage Foundation, which calls the Waukegan hangar home. Stories of the pilots and wars these planes have survived live at the tip of Wood’s lips as he leads a brief walking tour of the hangar and its planes. It’s no coincidence that it sounds at times as if he’s talking about his own children.

“They’re kind of like kids,” Wood said. “You like them all and don’t like them all for different reasons.”

There’s the A-4 Skyhawk, a Navy plane used in the thick of the Vietnam War, and one of only six flying today. Wood said it’s not uncommon for Vietnam War veterans to be brought to tears at the sight of the Skyhawk.

A museum exhibit for many, the Skyhawk is much more to those lucky enough to live to tell the stories of the Vietnam War, Wood explained. The Skyhawk commonly provided ground support during rescue operations of American soldiers during the Vietnam War. So the sight and feel of the plane roughly 50 years later – on safe, American soil – can be quite emotional for veterans.

There’s also the T-2 Buckeye, another Navy plane, this one renowned for training a generation of military pilots. In use from about the ’60s to the ’80s, this is one of only two flying today. These two planes will be joined by dozens more like it for the Wings Over Waukegan air show, which will take place Saturday, Sept. 10.

The T-2, the A-4 and many more like them are as significant as they are difficult to find. As rare as the planes themselves are, it also is pretty rare for common people to be able to see such an assortment of historically significant aircraft still capable of flight. But this is what sets Wings Over Waukegan apart, according to Wood and fellow air show coordinator Jeff Clark.

“So, that’s the one really unique aspect of the Waukegan air show,” Wood said. “Airplanes that are pretty historic and pretty rare.”

This focus on historically significant planes rather than aerial acrobats and parachute displays sets the Waukegan show apart not just in the Chicago area, but in the entire Midwest, Wood said. Another unique factor that sets it apart from Chicago’s air show is how up close and personal people can get with the airplanes when they’re on static – remaining “parked” on the ground – display.

“It’s a very intimate show,” Wood said.

With the Waukegan airport being a big economic driver in the area, Wood and Clark say the air show is a great way for the airport to give back to the community it calls home.

“It’s really blossomed over the years into a pretty substantial show,” Clark said.

For a one-day show, Wood said attendance figures are typically “huge.”

“I think we had almost 20,000 people last year, and the weather was bad last year,” Wood said.

A few of the features of this year’s show will be Tuskegee Airmen P-51 Mustang, four generations of Navy aircraft flying together in commemoration of 100 years of Navy aviation and a U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight with an A-10 Warthog and the P-51 Mustang.

Warbird Heritage Foundation

The mission at the Warbird Heritage Foundation is essentially to bring the “birds” of American military aviation lore back to life, Wood said.

Founded in 2003, planes belonging to the foundation are all fully operational. To see them on static display is only a small sliver of the full flying experience that comes with them, Wood said. That’s why for him, the pleasure and satisfaction is in restoring these planes and returning them to the air. Today, the foundation features 10 planes at the Waukegan airport.

Mechanics work around the clock to maintain the planes – ranging from early WWII to the late 2000s – in flying order, Wood said. He’d love to one day be able to obtain WWI aircraft, as well as bombers, but hasn’t yet had the opportunity. A single restoration project for a given plane typically takes about two years of work. But the work is worth it to Wood, who takes pride in describing the Warbird Heritage Foundation as the largest operational museum between the country’s east and west coasts.

Wood’s passion is clear in the stories he tells for each and every plane featured at the foundation. Having never served in the military himself, Wood’s hobby serves as his own way of preserving the country’s military aviation history. To share this hobby and history with others, Wood flies the planes at air shows throughout the country. He also is a pilot with the Navy Legacy Flight program, which pairs today’s aircraft with their predecessors. To keep this qualification, Wood trains for a week at a time twice a year to keep his certification for the program.

“There’s only a few civilian pilots in [the program],” Clark said. “But what an honor to be able to do it.”

So, which airplane is Wood’s favorite? As with children, it’s difficult for him to say. Unlike with children, Wood eventually admits with some prodding that he just might have a favorite. Today, at least, it’s the A-4 Skyhawk, he said.

If you go

What: Wings Over Waukegan 2011

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10

Where: Waukegan Regional Aiport; entrances at West Beach Road and North Lewis Avenue, and North McAree Road and West Yorkhouse Road

Cost: $7 online; $10 at the gate; children younger than 12 admitted free; parking is free

Information: www.waukeganair show.com