Even before he enlisted in the Air Force, Lanny Zoeller was interested in aviation.

He served as a B-52 Stratofortress crewmember for four years during the Vietnam War, and his love for aviation is still strong after retiring from the Air Force nearly 40 years ago.  

Zoeller flew his North American Navion aircraft up from Corvallis, Ore., to be part of the Olympic Air Show June 18-19 at the Olympia Regional Airport in Tumwater.

The Navion was designed for the civilian market but also attracted the interest of the U.S. Army Air Force in the late 1940s. The Army Air Force ordered 83 of the NA-154 version, designated the L-17A, to be used as a liaison aircraft, personnel and cargo carrier, and trainer for the university-based ROTC flight training program.

"(The show is) mostly all warbirds, that's our interest," said Zoeller, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Warbirds of America organization who made the trip up to the show with a Navy veteran who also flew his plane.

Zoeller and several other aviation enthusiasts had their aircraft out on display on the airport's flightline. The Air Force veteran displayed a placard in front of the Navion, which he's owned for about three years, and chatted it up with show visitors.

Bob Fitzgerald rolled out his Navion out of a hangar at the airport to put it on a static display as well. The Lacey resident, a retired Reservist from the Montana Air National Guard, has owned his aircraft since 1979.

"It's a very comfortable cross-country airplane," Fitzgerald said.

While Fitzgerald is in the midst of trying to find a buyer for the Navion ("I'm transitioning from flying to boating," he said with a laugh), the veteran enjoying talking to people at the show and showing off the airplane.

"Different people come by with different aviation stories," he said. "It's nice ... kind of relaxing."

In addition to an aerial performance by the A-10 Thunderbolt West Coast Demonstration Team and several warbirds from the museum's collection, the show also featured an elaborate display of World War II jeeps, airplanes and artifacts, all brought by Friends of Willy and Joe, a local living history group.  

"I'll tell you anything you want to know about the jeeps," said Robert Lukes, who's been a part Friends of Willy and Joe for about 10 years.

Dressed up as a WWII Soldier, Lukes spent the afternoon answering questions from visitors about a wide range of subjects.

"Oh man, (we get questions about) everything," he said with a laugh. "About the jeeps, weapons, clothing ... everything."

More than 15 vehicles were on display, and nearly 23 members of the group came out dressed in WWII character for the display.

"We try very hard to do a very good impression," said Lukes, an Auburn resident. "It's what we do. Many of us enjoy the camaraderie piece to it."

Lukes is part owner of a couple of military vehicles that were on display throughout the weekend, and each time he comes out to an event in character with the group, he keeps one thing in the forefront of his mind.

"I do this to remember the veterans and all the things they've done in the past for us," he said.