Mighty wings come to Burbank

Ben Godar

Two vintage, World War II-era planes will come roaring into Burbank

this weekend as part of the Wings of Freedom Tour.

A B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator are scheduled to land at

the Burbank-Glendale- Pasadena Airport at 3 p.m. Friday and remain on

display throughout the weekend. The planes have toured the country

for 10 years, sponsored by The Collings Foundation, a Massachusetts

nonprofit group that supports events celebrating transportation

history.

The B-17 is one of only nine operational aircraft from the era.

The B-24 is the only airworthy one in existence, organizers said. The

B-24 was used in battle in the Pacific during WWII, while the B-17

was used to test atomic bombs, organizers said.

The event stopped in Burbank last year, and coordinator Bob Stane

said it was one of the most successful stops on the nationwide tour.

“Kids just love to see the old warplanes, but adults like me

remember when they were in use and seeing them fly,” he said.

Visitors can go inside the planes, even climb through the

aircraft’s bomb bay and sit in the chairs manned by the crew. For a

$400 tax-deductible donation, up to seven visitors at a time can take

a 30-minute flight in the planes. The planes will fly in the morning

and evening, and Stane said last year almost every flight slot was

booked in Burbank.