WWII fighter planes to soar through the sky in celebration of Independence Day

Saturday in Fort Myers, four World War II fighter planes will soar through the skies in honor of the Fourth of July.

Mark Henley, team lead for Team Aeorofield said, “You guys have us for Fourth of July and we’re excited to be here.”

The planes themselves are kind of a big deal. “There’s a lot of history with these airplanes,” Steve Gustafson said, who flys with the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team.

“These airplanes were all used during World War II. Every one of these airplanes were used in some type of training situation,” said Henley.

Taking off from Page Field, they’ll be up at noon, flown by four pilots with the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team. These well-trained pilots are bringing the show right to you.

“We’re going to fly over for the first responders and all the people out there that are keeping us safe and we’re going to do some formation flying, just like the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels, except we do it in propeller-driven airplanes,” said Gustafson.

As mentioned, the flight is for freedom and to pay tribute to doctors, nurses, first responders and any others on the front lines during the pandemic.

Pilots say you’ll be able to hear them coming and see their smoke trails after they’ve finished. The planes will be up for about 45 minutes and fly across all six wards of the city.

“We want everybody to be able to look up and be thankful that we’re all Americans and we’re free,” said Henley.

“You know when things get tough and you got to improvise, this is a beautiful way to do it,” said Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson.

So the mayor wants to make sure you make sure to “look up, Fort Myers,” and don’t miss the show in the sky.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to see the flight from your home, city officials are encouraging people to head downtown while also following CDC social distancing guidelines.