It was a sad moment when the Boilermaker announced that this year the annual post-race party would be without the popular flyover. That has been one of the signature features for the big event for countless years and when the military jets were not available, Executive Director for The Boilermaker Tim Reed, started digging in to see what else could be done. What he discovered was truly amazing!

If you were at the Post-Race party at the F.X. Matt Brewery, or the surrounding area, you would have seen a flyover, but not by the modern jets our community is used to. These aircrafts were remarkable pieces of American history.

Here is the Surprise Flyover In Case You Missed It:

 

Flyover for the #Boilermaker15K Post Race Party at Saranac! Were you surprised??

Posted by Boilermaker Road Race on Sunday, July 12, 2015

According to a local retired pilot, Eric L. Pierce, that lead plane is a P-51 Mustang that was primarily used in World War II. It was often compared to the British Spitfire. The other two planes were planes made by North American called the T-6. Those were primarily used for training. There are only a handful of these aircrafts left in the United States today.

According to an article in The Washington Post the P-51 Mustang,

Made its first flight in 1940 and operated primarily as a long-range escort fighter and ground-attack fighter-bomber. The Mustang possessed excellent speed and maneuverability and was last used in combat by the USAF during the Korean War. Foreign air forces used it until the early 1980s.

The owner of the P-51 is Mark Murphy and his family and doctor friend own the other planes in his fleet. They are the group that did the flyover and they travel all around the country doing air shows and other aviation presentations. The coolest part is they are based out of the Albany area. It was truly amazing to have such historic aircrafts over the city of Utica. Take some time to check out these photos of the planes up-close and personal.

Here are some photos of their full fleet:

Drone Takes to the Sky Over FrogFest 2015

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