Video: Veteran Gets Reunited With His WWII Warbird

Bethany Whitfield

Tuesday, October 09, 2012 at 09:47 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

91-year-old WWII veteran Mert P. Hansen took another flight in his exact Convair OY-1 Sentinal aircraft, 70 years after flying it over Iwo Jima.
The reunion was made possible by restorer Duncan Cameron, who discovered Hansen through flight logs found with the warbird during its restoration.
Cameron committed to a three-year restoration goal specifically to give Hansen one last flight in the aircraft he piloted during the war.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Seven decades after flying the Convair-built OY-1 Sentinal (the Naval version of the Stinson L-5) over Iwo Jima, 91-year-old veteran Mert P. Hansen got another ride in his exact WWII aircraft thanks to a unique twist of fate, as well as one man’s commitment to restoring the warbird.

While bringing the aircraft back to life, restorer Duncan Cameron came across flight logs that led him to Hansen, one of the few surviving veterans that flew the OY-1 during the war.