Wings of Freedom

Tour to bring WWII planes to Blountville airport; flights being offered

Let’s look to the sky as Veterans Day nears. To give thanks? Sure. To remember those who served? Absolutely.
Then come early Monday afternoon, be on the lookout for a trio of World War II warbirds as they fly en route to Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tenn.
The point? Each plane flies as part of the 2009 Wings of Freedom Tour, which will commence from the afternoon of Nov. 2 through early Nov. 4 at the airport.
A living history exhibit from the auspices of the Collings Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to preserve and present transportation history, the stop in Blountville marks one city of 110 in its current tour.
“It’s the only tour of this type in the world,” said Hunter Chaney, marketing director of Stow, Mass.-based Collings Foundation.
Planes on hand all date from America’s World War II era of 1941-1945. They include a P-51 Mustang, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
“These are extremely rare aircraft,” said Melissa Thomas, marketing director for Tri-Cities Regional Airport. “It’s educational.”

LEGENDARY AVIATOR
At least one legendary pilot will attend on Nov. 3. Evelyn Johnson, who will turn 100 on Nov. 4, said she relishes the opportunity to see such grand warbirds.
“I’d love to fly in that P-51,” Johnson, 99, said by phone from her office as airport manager of Moore-Murrell Airport in Morristown, Tenn.
That’s no typo.
“She still goes to work every day,” Thomas said. “She’s a neat woman.”
And Johnson is apparently incredibly young at heart.
“I don’t feel 100. I’ve got a lot to look forward to,” Johnson said. “I set my sights up high.”
Literally. Johnson is listed in Guinness World Records as having logged more flight hours as a pilot than anyone alive.
“I’ve got 57,637 and four tenths,” Johnson said. “I flew solid until the last of 2005.”
A member of six aviation halls of fame, Johnson took to the air by chance. Her husband was away in the military in 1944, and she was looking for something with which to occupy her time.
“One Sunday, I got ready for church a little early and picked up the newspaper,” Johnson said. “There was an ad that said, ‘Learn to fly.’ ”
She did exactly that.
“It was love at first flight,” Johnson said, “and it still is.”

B-17, B-24, P-51
Attend an air and space museum, open a book or search the Internet, and you can find examples of the P-51, B-17 and B-24. Those planes flew, but they no longer fly.
These do.
Now, this particular P-51 was never shot at or shot down. However, in part because so many of them were destroyed in combat, few flight-capable P-51s exist.
“Bomber crews called the P-51s their little friend,” Chaney said. “They saved countless lives in World War II. This particular P-51 did not serve in combat.”
Wings of Freedom’s two large bombers did. Particularly the B-24, each of them endured extensive use during World War II.
“The B-17 we have served in air and sea rescues. It flew in the Pacific,” Chaney said. “The B-17 is probably the most recognizable large bomber from World War II. This one is one of only nine still in flying condition.”
Pure luck led to the Collings Foundation’s acquisition of the B-24. Bought from an Englishman, the plane’s whirlwind past nearly buried the plane in geographical obscurity.
“This B-24 served with the RAF [Great Britain’s Royal Air Force] in World War II,” Chaney said. “It served combat missions in the South Pacific and supply drops well back into enemy territory. It eventually ended up in the Indian Air Force.”
After extensive renovations to restore the plane to its original and flying condition, you too can fly the sky aboard this magnificent plane. 

EXPERIENCE WWII WARBIRDS
Multiple options exist for those interested in experiencing the planes.
Attendees can inexpensively tour the planes. Those who wish and can afford to do so are invited to reserve a half-hour flight aboard either the B-17 or B-24 for $425.
“When people tour the planes and then fly in them, it’s an incredible experience,” Chaney said. “When young people do it, they want to go back and learn about World War II history. We’re connecting history, and it’s important that people remember.”
Third and most expensively, you can book a flight aboard the P-51. A half-hour costs $2,200 or $3,200 for an hour.
Not cheap.
“No, they’re not,” Chaney said. “They cost us about $4,000 per hour to fly. So $425 is quite a deal. When people pay $425 or $3,200 to fly in these aircraft, that money funnels into the aircraft.”
So for example, say you want to experience the P-51 Mustang. Outfitted with dual controls – a stick in the front of the cockpit and another in the rear of the cockpit, those brave enough to try will have the opportunity to man one of the controls.
“You don’t realize how fast you’re going until you pull on the sticks,” Chaney said, “and at that point your cheeks are at about your knees.”
Must be quite a buckle-up and bear-down time.
“It’s a really neat experience,” he said.
Johnson said she was offered an opportunity to fly aboard the P-51 Mustang from North Carolina to the Tri-Cities Airport. However, she lost her left leg in a car accident in 2006. Fitted with a prosthetic leg, she walks with the aid of a walker, and so from a fear of falling declined that ride.
“Plus, it’s the day before my 100th birthday,” she said, “and I want to see that.”
However.
“I might just get in the B-24,” Johnson said.

SUMMATION
To see, feel, experience and perhaps also fly aboard the planes should provide thrills and lead to vivid memories. That’s part of the point, Chaney said.
“We hope people will walk away with a better appreciation of World War II and World War II veterans and what they did,” Chaney said. “We hope to honor the veterans.”
But hey, we’re human. Many people aim to rocket full throttle through life and grasp tightly upon rare experiences when possible.
Well, here you go.
“It is an experience you will not be able to experience anywhere else in the world,” Chaney said. “It’s something you will never forget. It’s something folks will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

IF YOU GO
What: Wings of Freedom Tour
When: Nov. 2 from 2-5 p.m.; Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 4 from 9 a.m.-noon.
Where: Tri-Cities Regional Airport’s general aviation ramp, 2525 Hwy. 75, Blountville, Tenn.
Admission: $12 donation for adults, $6 donation for children under age 12
Flight fees: $425 aboard with the B-17 or B-24
P-51 Flight training: $2,200 for a half-hour, $3,200 for an hour
To book flights: (978) 562-9182 or (800) 568-8924
Info: (423) 325-6000
Web and video: http://www.collingsfoundation.org
And: http://www.triflight.com

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .