Among the displays at this year’s Miramar Air Show are the vintage military aircraft known as the Warbirds.
Lady Alice is a 73-year-old World War II fighter jet. She can still roar through the sky long after P-51 Mustangs were chasing enemy aircraft.
“It saved lives because it could keep our bombers from being shot down,” says pilot Kendall Wagner.
“It rolls fast, it's pitch sensitive, it doesn't like to slow down...there's a lot going on in a hurry,” Wagner says of Lady Alice.
Wagner says the fighters were game changers during the war.
“Because none of the fighters could take the bombers all the way to the target and back until the Mustang showed up.”
Wagner honors the history by flying with the Warbirds in air shows around the country.
“Not just the pilots but the guys who froze changing tires. It’s my contribution to preserving this history,” he says.
It’s always a special moment when he meets a retired pilot.
“They'll say I'm alive because of this airplane.”
