Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour
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The Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour: Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine, North American TP-51C-10 Mustang NL251MX Betty Jane, North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo, and Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft arrived at the Mesa Gateway Airport on Wednesday, April 13, 2016. On Friday, April 15, the airplanes departed for the Scottsdale 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.
McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier BuNo 163883 #20 of VMA-211 Avengers based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
Five years ago: McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier BuNo 163883 was identified as #24 of VMA311 Tomcats based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier BuNo 164117 #25 of VMA-211 Avengers based at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona, April 15, 2016.. You can purchase prints of this photo as large as 16 inches by 24 inches.
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
The Consolidated construction number of B-24J Liberator N224J 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.
Nineteen years earlier: Witchcraft was named the All American when it appeared at the Nellis Air Force Base Golden Air Tattoo in April 1997.
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
Bell 212 N82WP was built in 1980. Its construction number is 31128.
Bell 212 N82WP at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona, April 15, 2016.. You can purchase prints of this photo as large as 16 inches by 24 inches.
Bell 212 N82WP
Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour: North American TP-51C-10 Mustang NL251MX Betty Jane, North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo, Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft, and Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
North American TP-51C-10 Mustang NL251MX Betty Jane has been restored as a dual-control TP-51C trainer. During World War II, some single-place Mustangs were modified in the field with a second set of controls to serve as trainers and high-speed VIP transports. This Mustang carriers construction number 103-22730. The original 103-22730 flew for the Army Air Corps as 42-103293 and was condemned as salvage due to battle damage on May 3, 1944. John Muszala collected P-51B and P-51C parts. Muszala and Max Chapman agreed to assemble a flying example of a dual-control TP-51C. Chapman reserved the registration N24177 for it in June 2003. It first flew after restoration on May 5, 2004. The registration NL151MX was reserved for the airplane on June 25, 2004 and taken up on August 28, 2004. It won Best P-51 at Oshkosh that summer. In 2006 it was painted as P-51B 43-106511 Betty Jane of the Fifteenth Air Force. It was registered to the Collings Foundation on April 30, 2008.
North American TP-51C-10 Mustang NL251MX Betty Jane is powered by a Packard manufactured V-1650 Merlin 12-cylinder engine.
North American TP-51C-10 Mustang NL251MX Betty Jane
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo, Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft, and Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo starts up its number one Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone two-bank, 14-cylinder radial engine.
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine 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.
Forty five 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.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine starts up its number two Wright R-1820 9-cylinder Cyclone radial engine.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft starts up its number three Pratt & Whitney R-1830 2-bank, 14-cylinder Twin Wasp radial engine.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
North American B-25J Mitchell NL3476G Tondelayo
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft and Allegiant Airbus A319-112 N307NV
Allegiant Airbus A319-112 N307NV first flew as D-AVWD on March 6, 2005. Its construction number is 2427. It was delivered to easyJet as G-EZIB on March 23, 2005. It was transferred to easyJet Switzerland as HB-JZP on July 12, 2006. It has been leased by Allegiant as N307NV since September 23, 2015.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft and Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-o-nine at Phoenix-mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona, April 15, 2016.. You can purchase prints of this photo as large as 16 inches by 24 inches.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress N93012 Nine-O-Nine
McDonnell-Douglas AV-8B Harrier BuNo 163883 #20 of VMA-211 Avengers
Allegiant McDonnell Douglas MD-83 N883GA was manufactured in November 1988. Its construction number is 49710. It was delivered to GPS/La Tur as XA-TOR on December 15, 1988. It has been operated by GPA/CTA, Venus Airlines, Centennial Airlines, Finnair, and Allegiant Air/Nordic Airways. Allegiant Air registered it as N883GA on October 9, 2006.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona, April 15, 2016.. You can purchase prints of this photo as large as 16 inches by 24 inches.
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Consolidated B-24J Liberator N224J Witchcraft
Collings Foundation Displays
Link to the Collings Foundation web site for more information about their historic aircraft and their tour schedules.
The former Williams Air Force Base is now known as Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. In addition to serving as a civil airport, it is frequently visited by military aircraft taking advantage of its limited traffic. Several pilot training schools operate at the airport. Allegiant Air provides passenger service to airports around the country on a fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-83s. An air tanker base occasionally hosts fire fighting tankers. Boeing has a test facility for hot weather tests and Advanced Training Systems Incorporated refurbushes Douglas A-4 Skyhawks.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Flying Fortress Nine-O-Nine, Liberator Witchcraft, and Mitchell Tondelayo.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 Nine-O-Nine, Consolidated B-24J Liberator Witchcraft, and North American B-25J Mitchell, NL3746G Tondelayo are operated by the Collings Foundation. The bombers tour the country making 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: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast.
A dozen photos of Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N5017N Aluminum Overcast visiting the Santa Barbara Airport and Deer Valley Airport.
Put a copy of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
You can buy a 2020 Calendar featuring my photographs of Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Fuddy Duddy.
A dozen photos of Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N9563Z "Fuddy Duddy" at Santa Barbara and Chino.
Put a copy of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Fuddy Duddy: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
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