The eighth annual Wings and Wheels event is set to take place this weekend at the Minter Field Air Museum, located just a few miles north of Bakersfield off Lerdo Highway and Highway 99. The event, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. promises a captivating display of historic aircraft and vehicles, including Shafter’s first fire truck, a 1940-41 GMC.
Ron Pierce, a representative at the museum, highlighted the unique features of the vehicles on display. “This is a Jeep. It was a ‘Follow Me’ Jeep. It was yellow, and said that on the back of it, ‘follow me’ to bring airplanes into where they wanted to park,” he explained. The Jeep, dating back to the last part of World War II, features a headlight that can be turned up to illuminate the engine, a feature Pierce demonstrated.
In addition to the vehicles, the event will showcase a 650-horsepower Mazda-powered Harmon Rocket, known for its world record climb to 10,000 feet in just one minute and 40 seconds. The aircraft, along with a BT-13 that trained over 11,000 cadets during World War II, will be on display…