As part of a Veterans Day event, WWII veteran Capt. Jerry Yellin, 93, flew and took the controls of a Stearman PT-17, just like the one he trained in when he was 19 at the very same airport he trained at decades ago, today’s Scottsdale Airport – once Thunderbird Field II. Built in 1942 for the sole purpose of training WWII Army Air Corps pilots, Thunderbird Field II didn’t have a memorial commemorating its history until now. Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial Inc., an organization comprised of individuals from many different backgrounds who share a common passion for aviation, history and military heritage, are building a memorial at Scottsdale Airport to honor those early aviation pioneers and all veterans who have sacrificed so much protecting our freedom.
