Living History Film Series

November 5, 2016:

Living History Film Series 2016 Salute to Heroes at Air Force Museum Theatre

Dayton, Ohio-October 31, 2016 – This year’s Salute to Heroes will feature screenings of three films featuring stories of great courage, great historical significance and great accomplishment; “D-Day 3D: Normandy 1944,” “Heroes on Deck: World War II on Lake Michigan,” and “Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project.”

Beginning at 1 p.m., “D-Day 3D: Normandy 1944” tells the story of the largest Allied operation of World War II for the first time ever on a giant screen in 3D. This stunning film provides a new perspective to audiences of all ages of this monumental event that changed the world. Narrated by Tom Brokaw, the film pays tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom… A duty of memory, a duty of gratitude.

Audiences of all ages, including new generations, will discover from a new perspective how this landing changed the world. Exploring history, military strategy, science, technology and human values, the film will educate and appeal to all. A World War II veteran will speak to the audience after the film.

Showing at 2:30 p.m., “Heroes on Deck: World War II on Lake Michigan” tells the story of forgotten World War II fighter planes at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy was desperate for aircraft carrier-qualified pilots. With enemy submarines patrolling both coasts, the radical decision was made to train pilots in the safety of Lake Michigan. Crashes and “water landings” often led to serious injuries and occasionally death. As a result, more than one hundred fighters and dive-bombers sank to the bottom of the lake. To date, more than 40 aircraft have been brought to the surface.

Narrated by legendary CBS and A&E newsman Bill Kurtis, HEROES ON DECK captures some of the key recoveries and restoration efforts, and celebrates the stories of the brave pilots who survived this ingenious training operation. John Davies (Executive Producer/Writer/Director) will speak to the audience after the film.

The final screening of the day takes place at 4:30 p.m. with “Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project.” This screening is especially significant as Mr. Hoover passed away October 25th of this year at the age of 94. “Flying the Feathered Edge” chronicles his amazing 70 year-plus aviation career in vivid style, with rare footage, archival images, and interviews with Mr. Hoover and fellow legends of aviation like Burt Rutan, Gene Cernan, Bud Day, Sean D. Tucker, Clay Lacy and many others.

Mr. Hoover began flying as an Air Corps fighter pilot during WWII. Shot down to become a POW, he ultimately made a daring escape to Allied territory in a stolen German fighter. Soon after, he began his test-flying career at Dayton’s Wright Field, instrumental in the transition from piston power to supersonic jet aircraft. He later launched an air show career that saw him perform in front of more people, in more countries, in more aircraft, than any individual before or since. Mr. Hoover influenced generations of pilots with his precision flying and gentlemanly demeanor. No speaker will follow this screening.

The theatre’s Living History Film Series brings aviation history alive through films and guest speakers. The Living History Film Series is sponsored by the Boeing Co. and Texas Road House. Holiday Inn Dayton-Fairborn is the official hotel partner for the series. Tickets are available at the theatre's ticket counter or by emailing theatre@afmuseum.com. The Salute to Heroes pass is available for only $25.00 and includes a ticket for each screening. Individual tickets for “D-Day 3D: Normandy 1944,” “Heroes on Deck: World War II on Lake Michigan,” and “Flying the Feathered Edge: The Bob Hoover Project” are only $8, $10 and $15 respectively.

The Air Force Museum Theatre is operated by the Air Force Museum Foundation, Inc., a Section 501(c)(3) private, non-profit organization that assists the Air Force in the development and expansion of the facilities of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. For more information on the Air Force Museum Foundation, visit http://www.afmuseum.com. The Air Force Museum Foundation is not part of the Department of Defense or any of its components and it has no governmental status.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 19 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.