A community of wartime-era airplane lovers gathered in Brandon this week at an annual meeting to maintain their niche hobby.

The Warbirds Canada Conference & Annual General Meeting took place on Friday at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum. Roughly 25 people attended, coming from places like Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

Association president Dave Hewitt said the meeting is about keeping warbirds in the air in Canada — preserving history with running engines.

“Our goal is to keep them flying so people get to see and hear them,” Hewitt said. “It’s a collaborative effort to bring enthusiasts together to keep these warbirds flying in Canada.”

The running planes serve to capture history much better than idle planes, he said.

“The smell, the sound, the speed — you can sit th

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