Westmoreland County residents who look skyward over Memorial Day weekend may see a “Korean War Hero” passing overhead.

That’s what Wexford native Jim Tobul dubbed his restored 1945 F4U Corsair fighter plane. It’s one of four aircraft to be featured in the 2021 Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow that also will fly over various communities as a prelude each day of the show, which runs May 29-30.

The Heroes’ Tribute Flight, leaving at about 11 a.m. both days from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, is meant as a salute to first responders and essential workers who have provided vital services in the region during the covid-19 pandemic.

It also reflects the fact that in-person attendance at the airshow will be limited this year, with visitors remaining by their vehicles.

“We realize that we can’t get everyone we want to invite into the airshow this year,” said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the county authority that operates the airport. “So, we’re trying to take the show to the region as a way of saying thanks to everyone who put themselves out there and sacrificed the way heroes do.”

The course of the circuitous flyover is expected to cover more than 100 miles, passing above the Ligonier, Vandergrift, Rostraver, Jeannette, Greensburg and Mt. Pleasant areas.

Tobul now lives in Jackson Hole, Wyo. He appeared in past Westmoreland airshows and enjoyed a previous flyover for another event near Niagara Falls, N.Y.

“It was extremely well received,” he said. “People on the ground were waiting for it.”

Tobul’s Corsair plane completed more than 200 combat missions during the Korean War. During the Westmoreland airshow, it will share an aerobatic routine and the flyover with another fighter plane of the same vintage, a P-51 Mustang piloted by Scott “Scooter” Yoak.

Yoak has more than 6,500 hours under his belt as a pilot, including more than 1,000 hours in the P-51.

“We’re both sons of our fathers, carrying on their legacy of restoring and operating these World War II-era aircraft,” Tobul said.

Tobul and his father, Joe, purchased the Corsair in Florida in 1981 and spent a decade restoring it before taking it out on the airshow circuit. In 2002, his father was killed when the plane’s engine failed and it crashed.

“It took me about six years to decide I wanted to rebuild the airplane,” Tobul said. “In 2011, I finished the restoration and it now looks brand new.”

A Pitts Special biplane, flown by Skip Stewart, and a modified MXS aerobatic plane, flown by Rob Holland, also will take part in the airshow flyover.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels, now celebrating a 75th anniversary, will headline the show.

Tickets are available at Shop ‘n Save stores, for $100 per vehicle, with up to eight occupants. There is an additional charge for oversized vehicles.

Purchasers must choose which of the two days they’ll attend. Visit palmerairport.com for more information.

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