The night of July 25, Mark Murphy had just finished playing in his soccer league near Albany, New York, and was in line at a Burger King drive-through with his son.

On August 6, he expects to be flying 250 miles an hour over the Wiscasset Municipal Airport in one of the biggest draws at “Wings Over Wiscasset.”

Murphy, 43, is one of the pilots of the Texas Flying Legends Museum Warbirds.

The World War II-era planes and warplanes from other eras will be on display at the airfield. The Warbirds' airshow is set to start at 5:15 p.m. when they taxi in a parade past the crowd before taking flight.

Juggling the whopper burger order along with a reporter's questions over the phone, Murphy said he's looking forward to being back in Wiscasset, the Warbirds' summer home.

Wiscasset is smaller than many of the communities the Warbirds visit, so he has more of a chance to get to know the town here, he said.

Murphy has been a pilot for 27 years. His father first taught him to fly, not an uncommon story among pilots with the Warbirds, he said. Although the museum is at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, the pilots hail from all around the country.

One of the best parts of the job for Murphy is getting to talk with children and veterans at the airshows. He has a passion for flying and gets to share that with the next generation, he said.

It's an honor meeting the veterans, looking at the photo albums many of them bring, getting photographed with them, and getting to pay tribute to them with the shows, Murphy said.

“When you're flying with a purpose, that really makes it an honor,” he said.

“They are amazing,” Murphy said of the veterans he's been able to meet through the Warbirds.

To learn more about the museum or donate toward its mission of honoring veterans and inspiring the next generation, visit www.texasflyinglegends.org.

Susan Johns can be reached at 207-844-4633 or susanjohns@wiscassetnewspaper.com