#collings foundation

[nocternalrandomness]

A B-25 Bomber owned by the Collings Foundation taxiing into the Northern Colorado Regional Airport

[monkeyssalad-blog]

Taxiing in; A fine day for a B-17 by Jeff Hooten Via Flickr: A beautiful Summer's day welcomes "Nine-O-Nine" as she taxiis in. _DSC3151

[claytoneddy]

1942 De Havilland DH-82C Tiger Moth N5994M c/n DHC1297 at Livermore Airport California 2017. by clayton eddy Via Flickr:

[j-r-macready]

NX749CF | McDonnell Douglas | F-4D Phantom II | Collings Foundation by Florian DSO Via Flickr: McDonnell Douglas F-4D-28-MC Phantom II, (c/n 1813/0222), USAF reg. 65-0749. 3 October 1966 : First flight ''1965 : Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Air Force with s/n 65-0749. 1972 : Transferred to 78th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Bentwaters, Suffolk. By 1986 : Transferred to 127th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, McConnell AFB, KS.'' About NX749CF with Collings Foundation : ''9 July 1999 : To Collings Foundation, Stow, MA with c/r N749CF. 1 August 2000 : Certificate of airworthiness for NX749CF (F4D, 65-0749) issued.'' Reproduction of the livery (66-7463) similar to the original (November 1972 in Udon, Thailand) About the 66-7463 livery : representing McDonnell Douglas F-4D-29-MC, USAF (OY), 555thTFS / 432TRW (TFW), USAF reg. 67-0463, as flown in Vietnam by Captain Steve Ritchie and Captain Chuck DeBellevue. Five (5) Mig Kills. www.jetphotos.com/photo/23573 Scanned from the original 35mm slide, which is part of my own personal collection. It is therefore with pleasure that I share this photo with the people of FLICKR. Obviously, I also thank its author to whom I give him all the credit.

[sjf-penguin]

Although the Collings Foundation's B-17 was built too late to see combat in World War II, she was painted to resemble one that had completed 140 combat missions without losing any crew, the Nine-O-Nine. Sold to the Collings Foundation in 1986, this "new" Nine-O-Nine served an educational role, touring the United States to allow the public to see the WWII-era aircraft up close. Yesterday, October 2, 2019, this plane was lost in a crash at the Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut (near Hartford) along with seven of the thirteen on board.

I never flew on this airplane—I've actually never flown on any airplane. But I had the opportunity to walk through it twice: at the Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, Connecticut (near Bridgeport) circa 1998 and at the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh) while on vacation in 2008. My grandfather, who died four years before I was born, served as a B-24 ball turret gunner in WWII, and the Collings Foundation's lost B-17 toured with their B-24.

May those who were lost rest in peace.

Pictured: The nose of the plane, one of its four engines, and entrance hatch; the Allegheny County Airport building as seen looking through a window over a wing; the pilot and co-pilot waving goodbye to the crowd before flying away to the next tour location; the plane taking off.

[a-passing-interest]

B-24 Liberator ‘Witchcraft’ with the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom tour Wheeling, IL, July 2017

[jwood718]

Collings Foundation now has this bird flying airshows.  It was in Valparaiso and Lafayette for a couple days before heading back east Tuesday morning.  I can’t say for sure that from brakes-off to wheels-off-the-tarmac was, like, 100 yards, but it looked it.

Their website has the history of what is one of the rarest of WWII aircraft: an actual combat veteran, with 116 missions.

[lennycarl08]

Withcraft by lennycarl08 Via Flickr: This B-24 came out of the sun at me. It's a Collings Foundation aircraft flying out of Buchanan Field in Concord CA this weekend