Collings Foundation - September 2014
On Saturday September 20th, I visited Worcester Regional Airport (ORH) to see 6 aircraft the Collings Foundation brought. All of these aircraft were flight worthy and there were some rare aircraft there! I spent about 3 hours walking around them and I was able to go inside the B-17G and B-24J the Collings Foundation operate. The day started very sunny with some clouds, but as the day went on, more and more clouds filled the skies, making for some very interesting lighting conditions throughout the day.
They offer morning and evening rides in the B-24, B-17 and all-day in the TP-51C, but at a cost between $200 for 20 minutes (Bombers) and $3000 for 1 hour (TP-51C), it is way beyond my price range.
Aircraft Present:
- B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft"
- B-17G Flying Fortress "9-0-9"
- TP-51C Mustang "Betty Jane"
- A-36 Apache "Baby Carmen"
- A-1E Skyraider
- G-21 Goose
B-24J
The first plane I went in was the B-24. It was a little late returning from the morning flights, but also the first, so it was the first line I stood in. It took about 20 minutes, but it allowed me to notice many details on the exterior of the airplane. When I got up and close, the number of rivets was simply amazing. In many ways, the lines of rivets reminded me of the boundaries of a model I might make.
One of the really neat things I noticed was how the bomb bays opened up like a garage door on the side of the aircraft, rather than a simple door that opens with a single hinge.
Inside Photos:
Outside Photos
B-17
I saw the B-17 several years ago when I was in Worcester with my parents, but I didn't have a camera on me. Going back inside the B-17 was very cool. I also went through much slower and was able to see many more things. 3 years let me forget quite a bit, but it allowed me to re-discover things from the point of view of an engineer.
Inside Photos:
Outside Photos
TP-51C
Two of my favorite pictures from the day:
