Wings of Freedom
On Monday June 2, Steve, Chris R. and I all drove up to the Yolo County Airport in Davis, Ca to see The The Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour. It was very much a "HOLY CRAP" type of experience. They brought in a B-17G, a B-24J, a B-25J, and a TP-51C, all in flying and working condition. In fact, the B-24 is one of three left in the world flying. When we decided to go do this, we had NO idea we would get to tour the aircraft. There were no guides, we just climbed in and looked around. I was in heaven. I have been a plane buff since I was a little kid. I got it from my grandfather who loved planes and ships. I used to sit in his lap and look through Air Classics and Sea Classics magazines, and really loved the pictures. As I got older, the stories of the Bomber crews in Europe began to fascinate me, with a pinnacle there being the touching memorial to the crews at the R.A.F. Museum in London.
This trip on Monday was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I came _this_ close to paying for a flight, but I am going to differ it until the next time they come around. Their planes are in amazing condition, and I know they won't be able to keep them going forever. The rides last for 30 mins, and getting to crawl around the planes made this go from a "eh, someday" to "OH HELL YES, NEXT TIME!" I cannot wait...
