WWII Warbirds Land in Fayetteville for Rides and Cockpit Tours

The roar of a WWII bomber engine is heading straight for Drake Field, and you can get close enough to feel it. Bring the kids, bring a camera, and get ready to stand next to machines most people only see in movies.

The Deets

Meet the Fleet

FIFI headlines the show, a B-29 Superfortress and the most famous flying B-29 in the world. She’s also billed as the most advanced heavy bomber built during WWII, and she’s been touring the country since the 1970s, picking up appearances in movies and TV along the way.

Diamond Lil is the other big draw, the only B-24 Liberator still airworthy today. Crews built more than 18,400 Liberators during the war, at one point turning one out every hour, and Diamond Lil still holds the records for most-produced multi-engine aircraft and most-produced U.S. bomber in history.

Three smaller aircraft round out the lineup, and you can actually ride in these. The AT-6 Texan “Nella” is a nimble trainer that taught pilots advanced tactics from WWII into the 1970s. The PT-13 Stearman is an open-cockpit trainer that put more pilots in the air during WWII than any other aircraft. And the RC-45J “Big Oily Beast” is a military version of the civilian Twin Beech that pulled trainer, cargo, and VIP transport duty during the war. This one has windows built into the floor, so the view going up is nothing like the other rides. Seats on the RC-45J start at $150.

Tours by Day, Flights by Weekend

Wednesday through Friday, you can climb into the cockpits of FIFI and Diamond Lil anytime during the day, while the AT-6, PT-13 and RC-45J are all available for ride flights.

Come the weekend, the two big bombers take to the air themselves. Diamond Lil flies at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and FIFI follows at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., both days. Cockpit tours on the bombers reopen once the morning flights wrap up, and the smaller aircraft keep flying rides all day.

Claim Your Seat

General admission tickets can be purchased online or at the gate, and they’re good for the day you buy them. Ride flights work differently. Seats on the smaller aircraft tend to go fast, so booking online ahead of time beats hoping for a walk-up spot. Buy a ride flight and general admission is included, plus one free ticket for a friend or family member who wants to watch you take off.

Rider requirements differ by aircraft, so it’s worth checking the ride details for whichever plane you have your eye on before you book. Attending aircraft and availability can also shift with weather and maintenance, so give the event page a glance before you head out the door. The B-29 and B-24 don’t make it to every stop on the tour, so cockpit tours on those two aren’t guaranteed. General admission tickets are also non-refundable, with all sales final.