HASTINGS, Neb. - A rare piece of World War II history will take to the skies over Hastings Saturday, and attendees will have the option to see the city from a birds-eye view. 

Pilots with the Commemorative Air Force and the Nebraska Antique Airplane Association are bringing vintage aircraft to the city, including a Fairchild PT-19 trainer built in 1942.

The PT-19 was one of the first planes young pilots trained on before heading into combat during the war.

“Over 7,000 were made, and they were designed to conduct the initial pilot training for the Air Force,” said airline captain and Commemorative Air Force member David Ott. “Out of the 7,000, only about 70 are still registered, and probably only a dozen or two dozen still fly regularly.”

Ott is a graduate from the University of Nebraska at Kearney's aviation program, and said maintaining antique aircraft requires extensive time and resources.

Those with decades of mechanical experience keep the plane operational, and often rely on leftover parts from the war.

“She burns oil and fuel. They weren’t designed to be super-efficient aircraft,” Ott said. “Luckily, a lot of the engine cores survived the war, so we’re able to find new old stock items that have never been used because they produced so many spare parts during the war.”

The flights are part of a fundraising event at the Hastings Municipal Airport organized by the Nebraska Antique Airplane Association.

The local chapter, active since the early 1980s, works to keep aviation history alive while also building community.

“On Saturday we'll put on a hamburger feed for the public and for the pilots to fly in,” said Todd Harders, President of the Nebraska chapter. “It’s a free will donation, and we use the proceeds to help with supplies and hangar rent.”

The hamburger cookout runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

In addition to lunch, visitors can purchase 30-minute flights that circle over Hastings, the former Naval Ammunition Depot or even their own homes.

Harders said the rides provide a unique perspective of the city while honoring the pilots who trained for war in the very same kind of aircraft.

The mission of the Commemorative Air Force, Ott said, is simple: “Educate, inspire, and honor. Educate the future generations, inspire them, and then honor the prior generations that went through the war effort and their families and descendants that get to live under a country free from oppression.”