100-year-old WWII veteran soars once again in P-51 Mustang
By Dave Kindy
Aug 14, 2025, 08:18 PM
As a World War II fighter pilot, Joe Peterburs remembers flying with a wingman who always “had his six.” It was a little different this past weekend when the 100-year-old veteran soared into the skies in a vintage North American P-51H Mustang from California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport.
This time, his wingman was his granddaughter, Sabrina, who was buckled into a P-51D Mustang alongside his plane as they flew along the Pacific Coast.
“Her wingtip was about two feet away from mine,” he recalled in a Zoom interview. “We were flying in close formation and we were waving to each other. She was smiling and was really happy. She almost filled that rear cockpit up with tears, she was so emotional.”
It was also quite a moment for Peterbus, who also flew in the P-51D the day before at the Rumble Over the Redwoods Air Show. He was reuniting with two of the aircraft he piloted over Germany in World War II and in close air support for ground troops during Korea.
https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/military-history/2025/08/15/100-year-old-wwii-veteran-soars-once-again-in-p-51-mustang/
