As a way of saying thanks to veterans and their families, John Mosley, owner of Clinton Body Shop in Mississippi, and his fellow pilots offered free plane rides to them on Nov. 8 in three World War II aircraft. 

More than 200 people were given rides, eight at a time. Mosley flew a T6 all day and could only take one person at a time, but he flew from 10:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., stopping only twice to refuel and giving a quick interview to the local newspaper. Altogether, he did 16 flights, including one that was videotaped by the newspaper where he did formation work with the other pilots in order for the reporter and her camera man to be able to get footage of the planes in the air together.

“We burned 600 gallons of fuel Saturday and would have burned twice that much if time had allowed,” said Mosley. “I saw nothing but smiles and tears. Most people laughed and cheered, but there were a few who had tears in their eyes and couldn’t talk. I can only imagine what kind of memories they experienced. One thing is for sure: they were all grateful, and we were honored to show our appreciation for their service.”