26th Anniversary AirFest to host Tuskegee Airman 
Cape May Airport, Lower Township, NJ – Naval Air Station Wildwood (NASW) Aviation Museum will be celebrating the 26th anniversary AirFest over Labor Day weekend. AirFest returns to a four-day format, September 2-5, 2022, 10am to 4pm each day. Highlighting the weekend will be an appearance by the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Tuskegee Airman Dr. Eugene Richardson Jr. will discuss his time training and the role of the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII. His presentation will take place at 11am on Saturday and Sunday.
Born in 1925, Dr. Richardson served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He was a member of the group that became known as the TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. In February 1944, Eugene went to Tuskegee, Alabama, for pilot training and subsequently received his pilot’s wings and officer’s commission on March 11, 1945. George W. Bush presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to Dr. Richardson and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen in 2006.
NASW is proud to announce the return of the Military Aviation Museum (MAM) & Fighter Factory as part of the 2022 AirFest. In 2021, NASW formed a new event partnership with the Military Aviation Museum (MAM) based in Virginia Beach, VA to bring unique aircraft to the museum’s largest annual fundraiser. New for 2022, NASW decided to allow museum members, friends, guests and social media followers to choose one of the aircraft attending by putting the choice out to vote. The winning aircraft is the Corsair! Designed by Vought Aircraft Company, the “gull-wing” Corsair was one of the most powerful, unique and recognizable fighter aircraft of the war. The Japanese referred to it is as “Whistling Death.”
Also flying in to AirFest will be the PBY Catalina and Wild Cargo a B-25J. These are all exceptional aircrafts that guests can see up close, something not many people get to do. The MAM’s collection is beautifully restored to their prior military condition using original parts whenever possible. NASW Museum Manager Bruce Fournier stated, “It’s amazing to see these WWII aircraft fly in to Cape May Airport. These are one-of-a-kind aircraft right here in Cape May County.” Do not miss this rare opportunity to explore and learn about these unique aircrafts and support NASW Aviation Museum.
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is located inside historic Hangar #1 at the Cape May Airport. The site was formerly Naval Air Station Wildwood, which served as a World War II dive-bomber training center. The museum is dedicated to the 42 airmen who perished while training at Naval Air Station Wildwood between 1943 and 1945. Current museum hours are 10am-4pm, 7 days a week. For more information about AirFest or NASW, or for the event’s agenda, visit www.usnasw.org or call (609) 886-8787.
Featured image courtesy of NASW