By Abigail W. Adams
The Texas Flying Legends Museum TBF Avenger, flown during the battle of Midway in 1942, participates in the 2014 Wings over Wiscasset. (LCN file photo) |
Without the support of the Texas Flying Legends Museum, the cost of Wings over Wiscasset exceeded the projected revenue, forcing the event to cancel in its third year. “It boils down to money,” event coordinator Hilary Tounge said.
While unable to visit Wiscasset in 2015, the Texas Flying Legends Museum hopes to return in 2016, general manager Scott Tollefson said.
The Wiscasset Municipal Airport has long served as the summer home for the Texas Flying Legends Museum, a traveling museum of World War II war birds, devoted to honoring veterans for their service.
The Wings over Wiscasset air show was largely a partnership with the museum, which helped organize the original event, Tounge said.
Due to scheduling conflicts, the Texas Flying Legends Museum will not be making an appearance in Wiscasset this summer, Tollefson said.
“We just couldn’t do it this year,” Tollefson said. “We physically couldn’t get there. It breaks our heart because we love being there.”
The museum’s WWII aircrafts were a major feature of the air show, which was organized to recognize veterans and service members. With the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in August, the Texas Flying Legends Museum war birds are in high demand, with requests for flyovers coming in from across the country, Tollefson said.
Wings over Wiscasset was scheduled for Saturday, August 15. “The timing was virtually impossible,” Tollefson said.
After tabulating the cost of organizing an air show without the museum’s support, the planning committee made the recommendation to cancel the event to their parent organization, the Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce, Tounge said.
According to Tounge, it would have cost $75,000 to bring in additional groups to replace the Texas Flying Legends Museum, not including incidentals. “It just didn’t seem feasible,” Tounge said.
The chamber of commerce made the final decision to cancel June 11.
“Obviously a lot of people put a lot of time and energy into this,” Tounge said. “It’s a great thing. It was a very organized effort to recognize veterans. It’s sad that portion won’t be involved.”
The American Legion is working to organize a separate event to honor veterans, despite the cancellation of the air show. (See story page 3)
“We’re broken hearted,” Tollefson said, “but there’s only so much you can do in one year. We’re really sorry, but hopefully we’ll be there again in 2016.”
