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.