Hudson Valley War Hero To Fly in D-Day 80th Anniversary Celebration

I was amazed to find out that a World War II War Hero was being stored and restored here in Dutchess County. Let me tell you, the History behind this plane is magnificent, and I could feel it when I was allowed on site to take a tour of the legendary aircraft, Placid Lassie. Placid Lassie will be taking flight once again to Normandy as part of the 80th Anniversary Celebration.

Of course, D-Day refers to the Normandy landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in History.

The Tunison Foundation Could Use Your Donation

Preserving a generation of American History in airborne condition and showcasing it to the world comes at a great cost. In the interest of airborne safety and historical authenticity, The Tunison Foundation does not cut any corners on their maintenance, crew training, or historical Education programming, operating Placid Lassie costs at minimum $250,000 annually.

The historic appearances in Europe in 2014, 2019, and 2024 in commemoration of the D-Day invasion and Berlin Airlift cost about $200,000 each, in addition to our normal operating costs. Additionally, the Foundation's efforts to restore their PBY Catalina to airworthy status and operate her at airshows across the nation, in tribute to another less-recognized story of valiant wartime and postwar service, are expected to cost over $1 million.

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The Tunison Foundation is fortunate to be able to bolster revenue through merchandise sales and appearance fees as a popular airshow act in collaboration with a variety of round-canopy parachute reenactment teams, but these cover only a fraction of the costs. Please consider joining our devoted group of donors who contribute to keep historic aircraft in the skies. You can click the link here in order to donate.