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Miss Montana launches '22 season with Memorial Day fly over

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Posted at 6:33 PM, May 31, 2022
and last updated 2022-06-01 10:45:32-04

MISSOULA - It was an epic, and welcome, sight from the ground. But the view of Miss Montana — and her fighter plane companion — were even more epic from the air.

Missoula filmmaker Eric Ristau — who produced last year's epic Miss Montana documentary — was along for the ride Monday, as Miss Montana took to the skies for a flyover of Memorial Day ceremonies across Western Montana.

Accompanied by the P-51 Mustang fighter owned by a Hamilton enthusiast — that's normally in a Minneapolis museum — the planes flew in formation over the Memorial Day parade in Corvallis. Then over Fort Missoula and the ceremony there on the return trip.

In addition to the Miss Montana crew, some other people got a front-row seat to watch as paratrooper Al Charters — who led the commemorative jump over Normandy three years ago — dropped in with the American flag.

This was Miss Montana's first flight of the year, with additional flights planned for June 11 over Butte and Choteau, and Thompson Falls on June 25. You can follow the historic plane's journies on Facebook.

Ristau's full documentary is now available on Amazon Prime, with a link to the film on MissMontanaMovie.com or the direct Amazon and Vimeo links.