Warbirds Over the Beach Air Show to Feature Hurricane Relief Drive
Vintage WWII Plane Will Fly Supplies to North Carolina Areas Affected by Helene

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Oct. 3, 2024 – During its Warbirds Over the Beach air show this
weekend, Oct. 5 and 6, The Military Aviation Museum will host a supply drive to help areas of
North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene. After the show, a World War II transport plane
best known for dropping paratroopers on D-Day will fly the supplies to Western North Carolina.
“We have seen impacts from the storm across the mid-Atlantic, and our upcoming air show is
no exception,” Museum Director Keegan Chetwynd said. “Many of the folks that help out and
support this annual event are from the areas hardest hit by Helene. Hearing those stories had
the Museum staff and our volunteers wondering – what can we do to help?”

The Museum has been working with teams on the ground in North Carolina to determine what
supplies should be gathered and where they are most needed. Urgent items being requested
include adult diapers, toilet paper, paper towels, baby supplies including lactose-free baby
formula, water purification tablets, bottled drinking water, non-perishable food, coolers,
raincoats, Clorox wipes, cleaning supplies, shovels, brooms, gloves, first aid supplies, socks,
underwear and blankets.

The vintage plane that will carry the supplies is a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, flown by The Liberty
Foundation, a nonprofit flying museum in Douglas, Georgia. C-47s dropped American
paratroopers behind enemy lines to begin the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6,
1944, and also played a vital role in resupplying Allied forces during their advance across
Europe. The large spacious cabin and low loading door made the C-47s well-suited to being
loaded by hand under combat conditions. Many wartime C-47s went on to support the Berlin
Airlift, a post-war humanitarian effort to counter a Soviet blockade, demonstrating how well
suited the airplane is to transporting supplies on missions of mercy.

The hope is that members of the Hampton Roads community, all too familiar with the impacts
of hurricanes, will join the Museum in helping fill the C-47 with the essential supplies needed in
Western North Carolina.

How to Donate Supplies
In keeping with the spirit of these historic supply runs and airlifts, the Museum is serving as a
gathering point for supplies and is asking show attendees and members of the public for help
to fill up the aircraft.
For those planning to attend Warbirds Over the Beach, there will be a collection point for
supplies next to the aircraft during both days of the show. People wishing to donate supplies
without attending the show can drop off items at a collection point installed at the Museum’s
main entrance. The Museum will be open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, and Friday, Oct.
4.

About the Military Aviation Museum
The 60,000-square-foot nonprofit Military Aviation Museum, located on a private airfield in
Virginia Beach, Virginia, is dedicated to preserving, restoring and flying historic military aircraft.
Its extensive collection includes examples from both World Wars, offering visitors a unique
opportunity to experience aviation history up close. For more information, visit
militaryaviationmuseum.org.

About Warbirds Over the Beach
The annual Warbirds Over the Beach featuring vintage World War II aircraft returns to the
Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach on Oct. 5 and 6. The weekend will include a large
living history encampment, armored vehicles, weapons demonstrations, vintage vocal
performances, food trucks and some of the rarest WWII aircraft in the world flying from the
museum’s scenic grass runway. This event is the nonprofit museum’s largest fundraiser,
supporting the maintenance of its collection and the expansion of its educational
programming. For tickets, visit the event website.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Sonja N. Barisic, APR
sonja@thinkotto.com
757.412.7071