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News & Media Remember the 'Candy Bomber'

Remember the 'Candy Bomber'

GailS. Halvorsen Foundation celebrates life, service of humanitarian aviator.

April 27, 2022 By Niki Britton
Editor's note: This story was updated May 5 to remove inaccurate information about one of the two events described. AOPA regrets the error.

Gail Halvorsen, known to many as "The Berlin Candy Bomber," died earlier this year at the age of 101. The Gail S. Halvorsen Foundation plans to honor his legacy of service with events at two airports in Utah.

Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen, nicknamed the "Berlin Candy Bomber," is in the running for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Photo by Mike Fizer.
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen, nicknamed the "Berlin Candy Bomber," is in the running for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Photo by Mike Fizer.

Halvorsen, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, pilot, and humanitarian was affectionately known as “Uncle Wiggly Wings” to the starving children of Allied-controlled Berlin in 1948 and 1949. Through “Operation Little Vittles” he brought food, candy, and hope to civilians caught in the crosshairs of the Berlin Blockade.

To honor, celebrate, and preserve Halvorsen’s legacy, The Gail S. Halvorsen Foundation is holding the Remember the Candy Bomber event on May 20 at Provo Municipal Airport and on May 21 at Spanish Fork Municipal Airport. 

The foundation website details Halvorsen’s legacy, “During the 1948 Berlin Airlift he showed the world a simple act of kindness, could change the course of history. His message of hope seems even more important today than ever before.”

The event taking place at Provo Municipal Airport will feature an Open House and tours of the Spirit of Freedom C-54, which features an onboard museum and is owned by Tim Chopp of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation. There will also be tours and a naming ceremony for the Spirit of the Candy Bomber C-17. 

The Spanish Fork Municipal Airport event will include “flyovers, displays, activities, musical performances, food trucks, a sneak peak at the Halvorsen Heritage Center, and a Spirit of Freedom Flyover and Candy Drop!”

You can learn more and register for the events here.

Niki Britton

eMedia Content Producer
eMedia Content Producer Niki Britton joined AOPA in 2021. She is a private pilot who enjoys flying her 1969 Cessna 182 and taking aerial photographs.
Go to Niki Britton's Profile
Topics: U.S. Travel

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