Thursday, March 6, 2008

Vintage WWII bombers set their (Norden) sights on Dallas

Frontiers of Flight Museum to host Collings Foundation aircraft for ten days in March.

Rick Brown and John P. Meyer

From correspondent and aviation maven Rick Brown comes word that the Collings Foundation will be bringing their Wings of Freedom flying circus to Dallas' Love Field later on this month (March 13 - 23).

B-25 Mitchell (the H variant, if you must know)

Headquartering at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, three venerable warbirds - a B-17 Flying Fortress, a B-24 Liberator and a B-25 Mitchell - will offer once-in-a-lifetime flight experiences to members of the general public who a) have several hundred bucks to spare, and b) are hankering to know just what it was like for the brave aviators who piloted and crewed these crates while dodging flak and taking hits from the guns of Nazi fighters.

The price (in the $325 to $425 range, depending on plane and seating position) includes a static tour of the aircraft in addition to the half-hour flying time. Since the cost is couched in terms of a "donation," it's fully tax deductible, as the monies go toward maintenance and operational costs of the aircraft preserved and flown by the non-profit org.

Eric "Rick" Brown, who clued us in on this event, is quite a venerable fellow himself. He spent his formative years in London prior to the war years (we're talking the Big One: WWII); after the 1940 London Blitz he journeyed across the pond to do pilot training in Oklahoma. During active service he flew on operations involving aircraft with variously four, two and one engine (though hopefully not on the same plane) - not to mention the zero-engine assault glider in which he accompanied airborne forces into Germany.

Following his RAF service, Rick spent 25 years involved in mainly behind-the-scenes work in the music industry, though he does admit to serving a brief stint as a "very bad rock guitarist." He now lives in North Texas and hangs out quite a bit at Frontiers of Flight.

More information (and coverage!) relating to the Wings of Freedom event will be forthcoming - stay tuned.

Related stories

• UPDATED with video: World War II bombers fly from Love Field (March 21, 2008)

See more stories in:

• Citizen Profiles
• Historical Exhibits

Comments

John Meyer Staff

Rick Brown wanted me to clarify that the regular cost of admission to the Frontiers of Flight Museum ($12 for adults and $7 for children under twelve) will include the static tour of the WWII bombers, once they arrive in town. So you don't have to buy a ticket to ride in order to get up close and personal with the airplanes. (Thanks, Rick!)

7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Bill Holston Verified

I love watching these planes fly around Dallas. My office is at Fitzhugh and Central and I've seen teh B-17 and B-24 fly by. My dad was a navigator on a B-24 in the South Pacific.

Many of our local wwii vets meet for a lunch at the Frontiers of Flight on the third Friday of the Month. They call themselves the Happy Warriors. I attend with my dad. It's really cool to hear their stories. A couple of months ago, I heard the story of a Paratrooper at Normandy.

This is really worth seeing.

7 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )