Archive of SportingNews.com's old SOM Baseball forum

I would just like to share with the community how my two brothers "colluded" against me. First, Paul bought me a ticket to fly on the "Witchcraft", the only Consolidated B-24 Liberator still flying in the world. Takeoff to landing, it was supposed to be a 30 minute go. Instead, it lasted well over an hour! In addition, Mike moved me into the 21st century helping me purchase a digital camera (yes, I was still using the old 35mm ones). The operation is called the Wings of Freedom Tour, this one included the B-24, but also a B-17 and a P-51. All were available to fly on. Go to: www.collingsfoundation.org for more information. I believe they mainly travel to small to medium size airports for display and tours. You can find the tour schedule on their website.

If you have family or friends that have interest in the old warbirds, check out the website and trust me, you won't regret it. It is living history and this is a day I shall never forget.

So, I would like to offer a hardy THANK YOU to my brothers for colluding against me.

Mort

That is so cool....Although I don't know much about that sorta stuff *I think* sometimes you fly a certain type plane and maybe be part of a certain group....Sometimes called air division something something something"...And I'm sure no matter how many times you guys fly it'll always be very exciting and a little scary and I'm sure you'll never be in the same air division with either of your brothers....;)

Nice Bros. 8-) :wink: Lucky Bastage!

Years ago, had a B-17 & a B-24 land at our local airport for a day. My son was a sophomore in HS at the time. I surprised him that morning, and had him play hookey from school. Took him to the airport, and we rummaged around inside the fully operational planes. Didn't fly on them, but got to sit in the ball turret, and the captain and co-pilot seats. Spent a good two hours there, then we went home and watched Memphis Belle on video. I figured it was more educational than what he normally got in school. He still talks about that day. :) Living history, indeed. You are a lucky man; kudos to your brothers.

That does sound terrific. You know, I was a small boy during WW2 and really got into the wartime experience thing. After an uncle gave me a copy
of "The Aircraft Spotters Handbook" I read everything I could find on the
Subject and became a sort of "expert" on WW2 Aircraft but I have never
flown in a combat aircraft of that era. A couple of transports of that era,yes.
Pretty mundane except perhaps for the time I flew over the Atlantic Ocean
in a plane with one less engine than it was supposed to have.That was
sort of interesting. I don't know if it made the national news but a couple of weeks ago or so a B-17 crashlanded after an engine fire here in the Chicago
area, just a few miles from where I live. All on board got out safely but the plane was destroyed, unfortunately.

One of the few B-17s crashed outside Oswego, Ill on June 13th. One injury, no deaths, plane totaled. Not enough of a plane left to rebuild.

That is damn cool. My dad built his own airplane from scratch when I was a kid, and not from a kit but from using a set of blueprints. It was a low-wing, two-seater. He finished it and got it airborne shortly before he died, and I got the chance to fly in it before then. We used to go to every air show that came to the area. I always liked going into the old cargo planes and looking at all the gun turrets and stuff of the warplanes. I used to know so much more about planes than I do now. Every now and then I wish I had a pilot's license so I could rent a plane and get up in the clouds again.

My dad taught beginning pilots at Ft. Sill OK during the war. He would have been flying a Flying Tiger, but his vision went bad. My childhood bedroom ceiling was completely full of WWII model planes hanging from needles and thread.

My vision went bad at twenty (astigmatism just like dad), but instead of not being able to fly a Tiger, I never broke up another no hitter or lead my team in hitting again. Yet, if dad's vision hadn't gone bad and stopped him from flying into battle, I might not have ever been here at all? :shock: