What is the legacy of the Berlin Airlift for people today?
Enlarge image Tim Chopp speaking about the Berlin Airlift at a Friends Always event in 2008. (© Marc Beutler) Having the privilege of being the Aircraft Commander of the “Spirit of Freedom” for the past 15 years, I have had the unique opportunity to talk to many people and see their reactions as they board the C-54 and see the on board museum/exhibit for the first time. For most of them, what they may refer to as a legacy is that many airplanes were used to sustain Berlin and that many people were saved. After they have toured the on board museum/exhibit inside the “Spirit of Freedom”, they depart with the knowledge that the Airlift was much bigger than they ever imagined and that 2.5 million Berliners were sustained during the blockade period. They also learn that the Berliners played the most important role to make the Airlift a success with their strong will to be free. It is the purpose of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation to preserve the memory of the Berlin Airlift with a
