99-year-old Air Force Veteran takes to the skies once more in the legendary P-51 Mustang

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, who is 99 years old and served in both World War II and the Korean War, prepares to fly in a P-51 Mustang with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Mikey Gibson stands close to his wife, Amber Gibson, as she tearfully watches her 99-year-old grandfather, Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, take to the skies in a P-51 Mustang with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Armstrong served in both World War II and the Korean War, where he flew P-51 fighter planes.

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, a 99-year-old who served in both World War II and the Korean War, sits in the back of a P-51 Mustang with pilot Joe Shetterly as the fast-moving propellers warm up before their flight at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Pilot Joe Shetterly and 99-year-old Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong fly in a P-51 Mustang at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Armstrong served in both World War II and the Korean War, where he flew P-51 fighter planes.

Pilot Joe Shetterly and 99-year-old Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong in a P-51 Mustang after their flight at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Armstrong served in both World War II and the Korean War, where he flew P-51 fighter planes.

Pilot Joe Shetterly, left, and Mikey Gibson, right, help 99-year-old Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, center, exit a P-51 Mustang after soaring in the sky at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Armstrong served in both World War II and the Korean War, where he flew P-51 fighter planes.

Amber Gibson tearfully hugs her mother, Mary Medina, after Gibson's grandfather and Medina's father, 99-year-old Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, flies in a P-51 Mustang with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Armstrong served in both World War II and the Korean War, where he flew P-51 fighter planes.

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, who is 99 years-old and served in both World War II and the Korean War, stands next to the propeller of a P-51 Mustang after taking a flight with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Pilot Joe Shetterly shakes hands with Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, who is 99 years old and served in both World War II and the Korean War, after their flight on a P-51 Mustang at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, who is 99 years old and served in both World War II and the Korean War, prepares to fly in a P-51 Mustang with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, who is 99 years old and served in both World War II and the Korean War, is assisted by pilot Joe Shetterly as he boards a P-51 Mustang at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, a 99-year-old who served in both World War II and the Korean War, grips his cane on the tarmac after taking a flight in a P-51 Mustang with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Air Force veteran Bernie Armstrong, who is 99 years old and served in both World War II and the Korean War, walks up to a P-51 Mustang in preparation for his flight with pilot Joe Shetterly at Cutter Aviation in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

Chancey Bush

Chancey Bush Chancey Bush Chancey Bush Photographer

Published September 24, 2025 - 4:53 p.m. Modified September 24, 2025 - 5:59 p.m.

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