Wings of Freedom returning to county
PENN TWP — The Wings of Freedom Tour, the largest aviation event of the year at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport in Penn Township, is returning this Thursday through Sunday.
The tour, which features restored World War II bomber and fighter planes, has stopped at the airport for more than a decade, and every year for the past four years in its 110-city national tour.
“It's one of the biggest aviation-related events of the year. It's the biggest draw by far,” said Ike Kelly, airport manager.
The Collings Foundation, a nonprofit educational foundation in Stow, Mass., owns and operates the planes and the tour to give people a visceral lesson in history.
The bombers are a B-17 Flying Fortress named “Nine O Nine,” a B-24 Liberator called “Witchcraft,” and a B-25 Mitchell known as “Tondelayo.” The fighters are a P-51 Mustang named “Toulouse Nuts” and, new to the tour, a P-40 Warhawk called “Jaws.” They are scheduled to land at 2 p.m. Thursday.
“When you're inside these planes and have the chance to crawl around and look at them, what you're seeing is right out of 1944,” said Hunter Chaney, foundation marketing director. “The purpose is to engage people in history as a means to understand and a motivation to want to learn more. We truly hope people remember World War II history and get a slice of it through these aircraft.”
The planes can be viewed from the airport parking lot for free. A $15 admission will be charged for self-guided tours of the insides of the B-17 and B-24 and viewing tours of the other planes. Admission for children ages 12 and younger is $5. Tours run from 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
Thirty-minute flights on the B-17 and B-24 are $450 per person and $400 per person on the B-25.
Training flights, in which people with or without flying experience can get “stick time” flying the P-51, cost $2,400 for a half-hour and $3,400 for a full hour. P-40 flight training is $2,200 for a half-hour and $3,200 for a full hour. People interested in flight experiences should call 800-568-8924 for information and reservations.
“The proceeds generated go right back into the operation of the aircraft. That's how we've been able to do it over the last 30 years. This is a rare opportunity to get stick time or get to control some of the most famous propeller fighter craft in our history,” Chaney said.
The planes are expensive to operate and require a lot of maintenance. The B-17 costs $5,600 per hour to operate and requires 10 hours of maintenance for every hour of flight, he said.
The B-17 and P-51 are the most popular planes at the show.
“The P-51 Mustang was arguably one of the most important fighters during World War II. They had the range to follow heavy bombers to the target and back. This plane was well known for saving countless crew members,” Chaney said. “It's flight characteristics are phenomenal. It's like the Cadillac of World War II fighters.”
The P-51 coming to the airport is a rare TF-51D Mustang that was converted to a training craft after the war. Chaney said it was one of only two to be retrofitted with a dual cockpit under a government contract, and it last served with the West Virginia National Guard in the 1950s.
“It flew with the last squadron of P-51s in the West Virginia Air Guard,” he said.
After it was restored, it was named after Toulouse, France, where P-51s saw duty during the war.
The P-40B Warhawk is the only airworthy American fighter known to have survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. The plane was in a hangar for repairs when the Japanese attacked on Dec. 7, 1941.
The plane crashed into a Hawaiian mountainside, killing the pilot a year later. The plane remained there until it was discovered in 1985.
Chaney also recommends visitors check out the B-24, a less-heralded heavy bomber than the B-17.
With more than 18,500 produced, the B-24 holds the world record as the most produced multiple- engine heavy bomber.
The B-24 coming to Butler is one of many that were abandoned in a high desert in Khanpur, India, after the war. The Indian government restored 36 of the planes in 1948 and the planes remained in use until 1968 when they were abandoned again.
The plane coming to Butler was bought by a British collector, disassembled and transported to England, where foundation founder Robert Collings bought it in 1984 and had it shipped to Stow, Mass., where it was restored.
WHAT: Wings of Freedom TourWHEN: 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through SundayWHERE: Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport, Penn TownshipCOST: $15 for self-guided tours adults; $5 for children, ages 12 and younger
