Adventurous fliers can enjoy a ride in a World War II era biplane, the PT-17 Super Stearman, on Aug. 5-6 at Liberty Aviation Museum. (Photo by D’Arcy Patrick Egan)

For an exhilarating airplane ride, on Saturday and Sunday. Aug. 5-6, Liberty Aviation Museum guests will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to ride in a World War Era aircraft known as “Tillie.” The PT-17 was built by Boeing for the sole purpose of training military pilots to fly during World War II.

After the war, Tillie was into civilian hands in 1945 and was used as a crop-dusting aircraft for the next 30 years. Damaged in a landing accident in 1982, her remains were shipped to Florida to be attended to by Gid Townsend, who spent five years restoring her to her current glory. In 2017, Heritage Biplane Ltd. acquired Tillie and moved her to her new home in Akron, Ohio.

Heritage Biplane & Liberty Aviation Museum are proud to offer rides in this classic warbird on flights originating from Liberty Aviation Museum on the grounds of the Erie-Ottawa County International Airport. To schedule a flight in Tillie, simply call 330-328-4527.

Liberty Aviation Museum was founded in 2003 and houses the area’s largest collection of working early aviation and World War II artifacts, all of which are fully functional: Their planes fly, their automobiles drive and drip oil, just as they did in the past.