16th annual Wings Over Halls Air Show takes flight Saturday

HALLS, Tenn. — Decades of history will take to the skies Saturday celebrating the 71st anniversary of the end of World War II.

“It’s for families to come out and learn history and to enjoy the WWII aircraft,” assistant coordinator Pat Higdon said. “We have a wonderful collection of war birds, we have aerial people doing aerobatics, and P-51, B-17s — so many things.”

The airport in Halls was used for B-17 training during WWII, and every year pilots from across the country dazzle crowds with historic rides.

“It’s absolutely amazing, and certainly what makes our day is we still get WWII veterans who have flown in an airplane just like mine to keep that history alive,” pilot Tim Gillian said.

Gillian flies a North America AT-6, and his is just one of the nearly 30 aircraft that will take to the skies Saturday to thrill the crowd.

But he said this show isn’t just about the flips and the turns.

“To see those, what’s truly the Greatest Generation, still admiring these aircraft makes it all worth it,” Gillian said.

The gates open at 10 a.m., the opening ceremonies start at 1:30 p.m. and the air show starts at 2 p.m. Tickets at the gate will be $15.