During the weekend of Sept. 29 and 30, visitors were able to explore WWII aircraft as the Collings Foundation brought the “Wings of Freedom Tour” to Norwood Memorial Airport.
The Colling Foundation is a nonprofit, founded in 1979, is an educational group dedicated to organizing and supporting “living history'” events that allow Americans to learn more about their heritage through direct participation.
Collings Foundation volunteer Geof Day said, “When we started this event, we only planned to do it for five years. But we keep flying through, and now, we have been doing it for 29 years.”
In keeping with their mission, admission was free for WWII veterans.
The event allowed people to walk on the tarmac and get up close to the historic WWII planes. The aircraft included a B-24J Liberator, a B-25 Mitchell, and a P-51 Mustang. Anyone who was interested in flying in the planes was able to do so, or take a flight training class, for a fee.
The B-24J Liberator is the world’s only fully restored and flying aircraft of its kind. The B-24 was a strategic bomber used during WWII in missions in both Europe and the Pacific.
“Mv dad wras a B-24 bombardier,” said Day. “He got me involved with this foundation in 1991.” Day has volunteered with the Wings of Freedom Tour in many states, including Colorado, Nebraska, West Virginia, and all of New England.
Many people who attended the tour have been to an event by the Collings Foundation before.
“I have never been to the Wings of Freedom Tour in Norwood, but I have been to their WWII reenactments,” said Tom Bianco, who is a veteran himself.
The event was also supposed to feature A B-17 Flying Fortress but the plane had engine trouble and was grounded in Burlington, Vt.
The foundation released this statement:
“The Collings Foundation’s beloved B-17 Flying Fortress ‘Nine-O-Nine’ is undergoing a #3 engine replacement in Burlington, Vt. On September 15th, after a flight, the crew7 started looking into issues that they experienced and after inspection, the engine was determined to be failing. A spare engine was sent out, but unfortunately that spare encountered additional problems and a second spare is enroute to Vermont as you read this.
“Due to this, the B-17 has been down since the 15th and will likely be down until the end of the week. Engine replacements performed ‘on the road’ are very7 costly, with total expenses soaring well above $75,000 and even more when considering the expense of a second spare engine as we are encountering now.
“As you may know, the flight experience donations received from visitors flying in ‘Nine-O-Nine’ are a very important part of keeping the Wings of Freedom Tour flying across the nation each year, so the loss of this fundraising makes it even more tough. If ‘Nine-O-Nine’ has ever touched your heart in the past, we appreciate your help in defraying some of the costs from this expensive and unexpected maintenance. Please click on the link below to go to our donation page for the B-17 ‘Nine-O-Nine’ and help where you are able. Thank you so much!
The foundation hosted a WWII reenactment and WWII veterans roundtable discussion on October 6 and 7th. More than 300 reenactors, representing several branches of the Allied and Axis military participated in the reenactment, which wast known as the “Battle of the Airfield.”
For more information on the Collings Foundation, visit https:/ /www. collingsfoundation.org/.
George Curtis, Norwood Historical Society