Colorado State University

Bert Christman died 80 years ago, but his memory lives on at an airfield tucked beneath the foothills just west of Colorado State University.

Dozens of people braved muddy and icy conditions at Christman Airfield Sunday afternoon to remember the World War II aviator who was killed in the line of duty on Jan. 23, 1942.

Local pilots conducted low flyovers in honor of the Fort Collins-born pilot and cartoonist, who was 26 years old when he died flying a mission over what was then Burma.

“Just to see my uncle honored after 80 years in Fort Collins as a hero to our country, it’s amazing,” said Janis Bunchman, Bert Christman’s niece who came to Colorado from Arizona for the memorial.

She and multiple other members of Christman’s family waved American flags at the pilots who flew overhead.

The flyover incorporated Christman Airfield’s past and future. The planes overhead included everything from a World War II-era P-51 Mustang to three modern load-bearing drones piloted by members of the CSU Drone Center, which now works out of the airfield and offered demos to members of the public after Sunday’s event.

See photos and videos of the flyover below.

For a longer look at Bert Christman’s life and legacy, visit https://col.st/6kM8G.