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History Will Take Flight In Zephyrhills

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By GEOFF FOX, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2008

ZEPHYRHILLS - Gaze at the sky above Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in the next week and you may think you've gone back in time.

The History Flight Barnstormer Tour, featuring a restored World War II-era Stearman biplane and T-6 Texan, will be at the airport 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today through Feb. 17. The airport is at 39450 South Ave.

During the event, people can purchase rides and choose among a "smooth flight, aerobatics or combat maneuvers," according to information provided by History Flight, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve World War II aircraft, as well as military planes used in Vietnam and the Gulf War.

Proceeds from the event help the organization keep its airplanes running and fund missions to find the remains of servicemen missing in action since World War II.

This week, a History Flight rescue team located remains on Tarawa, an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, said Cathy Kornfield, who does public relations work for History Flight.

Last year, History Flight conducted monthlong searches in the Marshall, Caroline and Gilbert islands and expanded its research program at the National Archives in Washington, Kornfield said in a news release.

This year, the Barnstormer Tour is scheduled to land in 25 cities, including Savannah, Ga.; Raleigh, N.C.; Long Island, N.Y.; Nantucket, Mass.; and York, Pa., as well as several stops across Florida. Flight pricing, scheduling and other information can be found at www.historyflight.com or call 1-888-743-3311.

Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 948-4217 or gfox@tampatrib.com.

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