Collings Foundation Bombers at Santa Barbara
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The Collings Foundation Bombers, Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine, North American B-25J Mitchell, NL3476G Tondelayo, and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J Witchcraft arrived at the Santa Barbara Airport on Monday, May 7, 2007 and departed for San Luis Obispo on Wednesday, May 9. The bombers were displayed on the flightline at Mercury Aviation.
Slideshow of Boeing B-17G N93012 Nine-O-Nine, North American B-25J Mitchell, NL3746G Tondelayo, and Consolidated B-24J Liberator Witchcraft.
Witchcraft, Tondelayo, and Nine-O-Nine parked on the ramp at Mercury Aviation.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine
This Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress was built under license by Douglas. Its Douglas construction number is 32216. Its original Army Air Force serial number was 44-83575. It was used by the Air Force for atomic weapons testing support at Yucca Flats, Nevada. Valley Scrap Metal of Phoenix, Arizona bought it in 1965. It was stripped for spare parts at Falcon Field near Mesa, Arizona. While sitting derelict it wore the name Yucca Lady. Aircraft Specialties Inc. converted it to a fire fighting tanker in 1979. From 1981 to 1985 it fought fires as tanker #99. The Collings Foundation acquired it in 1985 and restored it to its original military configuration in 1987. Its civil registration is N93012. Now it carries the serial number 42-31909. The white triangle on the tail indicates assignment to the 1st Air Division of the Eighth Air Force. The letter A in the triangle and the code OR on the fuselage denote the 91st Bomb Group.
Chin turret
Cheek gun
Dorsal turret
Ball turret
Waist gun
Tail turret
Bombardier and navigator's station
Bombardier's station
Pilot's seat
Co-pilot's seat
Looking forward in the bomb bay
Looking forward in the radio operator's compartment
Looking aft in the radio operator's compartment
Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J Witchcraft and North American B-25J Mitchell, NL3476G Tondelayo viewed from the radio operator's compartment of Nine-O-Nine.
Looking aft at the ball turret from the radio operator's compartment
Looking forward in the waist gunners' compartment.
Thirty-six years earlier: Nine-O-Nine as it appeared when it was known as Yucca Lady and cannibalized for parts at Falcon Field near Mesa, Arizona on May 7, 1971.
Nine-O-Nine appeared at the Nellis Air Force Base Golden Air Tattoo in April 1997.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J Witchcraft
The Consolidated construction number of Witchcraft is 1347. Its original Army Air Force serial number was 44-44052. It was delivered to the Royal Air Force as a Liberator B. VII. After its tour of duty in the RAF it was transferred to the Indian Air Force. In the 1970s, it was used as a training aid by the IAF technical college at Jalahalli, India. Warbirds of Great Britain Limited, Blackbushe transported it to England aboard a Heavylift Belfast in May 1982. The Collings Foundation bought it in 1986 and returned it to flightworthy status in August 1989. Its civil registration is N224J.
Nose
Nose art
Looking forward to the nose. The bombardier had to make his way to his station on the catwalk to the right of the nose landing gear.
Navigator's station
Cockpit
Looking aft in the bomb bay
Looking forward in the bomb bay
Looking forward at the ball turret
Looking forward in the waist gunners' compartment
Looking aft from the waist gunners' compartment
Looking aft into the tail turret.
Witchcraft was named the All American when it appeared at the Nellis Air Force Base Golden Air Tattoo in April 1997.
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You can buy a 2009 calendar featuring my photographs of Flying Fortress Nine-O-Nine, Liberator Witchcraft, and Mitchell Tondelayo visiting Santa Barbara.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine, Consolidated B-24J Liberator Witchcraft, and North American B-25J Mitchell, NL3746G Tondelayo arrived at the Santa Barbara Airport on Monday, May 7, 2007 and departed for San Luis Obispo on Wednesday, May 9. They are operated by the Collings Foundation. The bombers made a number of revenue generating flights, taking aviation enthusiasts aloft for about a half hour.
Put a copy of the Flying Fortress Nine-O-Nine, Liberator Witchcraft, and Mitchell Tondelayo visit Santa Barbara: 2009 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart.
North American B-25J Mitchell, NL3476G Tondelayo made its first visit to the Santa Barbara Airport.
Tondelayo's North American construction number is 108-33257. It was delivered to the Army Air Force as 44-28932. After the war, its combat systems were removed, and it was redesignated TB-25N. It was retired from the Air Force in 1958 and stored for a short while at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Earl "Red" Dodge of Anchorage, Alaska registered it as NL3476G on June 12, 1959. It was converted to a fire-fighting tanker with a 1,000-gallon retardent tank in the bomb bay in May 1962. Robert P. Schlaefli of Port Orchard, Washington bought it in 1966. The Collings Foundation acquired it on November 6, 1985 and flew it as 44-28932 Hoosier Honey. It was rebuilt after it crashed at Minute Man Field in Stowe, Massachusetts on June 10, 1987. It is operated by Collings Foundation West in Houston, Texas. It has been named Tondelayo since 2002.
Nose
Nose art
The bombardier had to make his way to his station through this narrow tunnel underneath the cockpit.
Cockpit
Looking aft in the bomb bay
The Collings Foundation Bombers made a number of revenue generating flights, taking aviation enthusiasts aloft for about a half hour.
The Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, The Dragon and His Tail
visited the Santa Barbara Airport on May 16 and 17, 2002.
The Collings Foundation Boeing
B-17G Flying Fortress, Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated
B-24J Liberator, The Dragon and His Tail visited the
Santa Barbara Airport from April 30 to May 2, 2003.
The Collings Foundation B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator visited the Camarillo Airport from April 20
to April 22, 2004.
The Collings Foundation B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24
Liberator visited the Santa Maria Airport from May 5 to May 7, 2004.
The Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J, which was recently repainted and renamed Witchcraft, arrived at the Camarillo Airport on Wednesday, May 3, 2005.
I toured the Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine and Consolidated B-24J Liberator, N224J Witchcraft during their visit to the Santa Maria Airport.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses were used to fight fires unitl the 1980s. Subsequently, the tankers were restored to stock configuration. The restored Flying Fortresses tour the country, taking aviation enthusiasts aloft on nostalgia flights.
Link to the Collings FoundationBoeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine page
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