2016 Collins FouAndation Warbirds Ankeny IA.

[Rhino]

4 of the Collings Foundation's Extraordinary World War II Flying machines are on display in Ankeny, Iowa from 25 July to 27 July 2016. You may visit, self Guided tour, our book an actual flight in these Grand old Ladies. :salute ldguy
So today, that is where my Apprentice, Jerod and I took our lunch-break.
We saw the B-25J & P-51B in formation from our job-site, on their way to the Casey's International Airport. The Mitchell & Mustang had landed by the time we arrived.

.
The Liberator lumbered into the Pattern shortly after we arrived.

Lib on short final, P-51B (TP-51C) in the foreground, and B-17G "Nine-O-Nine"'s wingtip!

A very pretty landing for such a cumbersome looking Bomber!!

 

[Rhino]

Witchcraft taxis in. Lookee what the B-25's wing tip is shaped like. NONE of my models look like that. :frantic

Spotted, but not chocked, all 4 engines ticking over, Consolidated's B-24J Liberator has arrived. :coolio

Hawk, which model Blackhawk is this one? He spun up and flew off, right after the last Warbird was on the ramp.

Back in 1942, Civil Air Patrol volunteers flew their trusty 90 hp. Stinson 10A's lugging a 100 lb. bomb to patrol our Nation's shorelines in search of Nazi U-boots. Central Iowa has never had a reported U-Boat attack. Now I know why!!

:salute
B-17G-85-DL is a Douglas built Boeing Flying Fortress. Her current paint job is "Nine-O-Nine", the last 3 digits of here serial. The actual 909 was famous for never having aborted a Combat mission during her 91st Bomb Group World War II service. (Jerod's got quite a honker on him, don't he?)

 

[Rhino]

Nine-O-Nine's ball turret mechanism, looking forward from the waist guns.
The last time 909 and I met, I conked my noggin on the top turret drive ring (They are HARD!) and it isn't in the MODEL KIT!! No injuries today, and the top turret mechanism was in it's place this time as well!!!

B-25J Mitchell pitchers!

More to come.

 

[lupanzer]

Great photos!...fantastic planes!...thanks for sharing

Luiz

 

[moon puppy]

Don't you love the roar of those Pratt & Whitney motors?! Great shots Chris, thanks!

 

[helios]

Hell yes!

 

[Heavens Eagle]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing!

 

[centaur567]

Great shots!! I had a chance to fly in the B-24 after making a substantial donation. Gary

 

[moon puppy]

Great shots!! I had a chance to fly in the B-24 after making a substantial donation. Gary

That's a bucket list thing for me. Think I'd rather do the B24, more roomy...

 

[Rhino]

Following a really :stinker crappy day, I felt the need to go back and see the Warbirds, and talk to other ldguy airplane nuts. I was sure it would improve my :vmad mood. IT DID!
There's a really funny story about my buddy Robbie, and a little rubber drain hose, that was stuck out of the RH side tail, near the static port of Witchcraft. (There was a blue plastic FUNNEL at the other end of it :smack ) No worries Hobbie Robbie! The rubber hose is not there anymore!

B-24J nose art.

FW-190D-9 view of Nine-0-Nine. I took some additional B-17G interior pictures for my fellow Flying-Thingie Maniacs!!

Forward from the nose hatch. (OOOooohh! the super-secret Norden bombsight!) Don't tell the FBI I'm not a Clinton!!

Control Yokes are the same. The Instrument panel has evolved some since 1944.

No blood stain on the top turret this year! Seeee!?!

I've almost got a good bead on the old Piper!! If he flinches, I'll blow him away!!

Bombay, with Kids, looking forward.

Big Tail Bird!

 

[Rhino]

The Newsies showed up :woohoo: ! Old Tom, from Urbandale gave them an interview. They left the Mitchell's forward hatch open!! :yipee So what do you suppose YOUR Roving Reporter did next?

HA HA haha haha! Crawl-way to the nose.

Cockpit shot. Everyone was most polite. More so than when the young, serious, Air Police at Dayton, asked me to close the canopy :pinch: on the Me-262-a1a, and climb down off the wing.

I've saved the very best for last! MY very first fire-breathing P-51B (converted to a TP-51C) Mustang. My 3rd airplane model was Revell's 1/32 P-51B Mustang Captain Don Gentile's "Shangri-La" of the 4th Fighter Group. I very fond the B model Mustang!

Polished vertical surfaces and painted horizontal surfaces. She was SHINEY!!!

This instrument panel has also evolved some since 1944.

To fly in the Mustang, it costs $2200.00 for a 30 minute flight OR!! $3200.00 for a 60 minute flight! My Smart Shopper is trying to decide what the better value is, :drool and consulting the Finance Manager.

@#%@*&%#$ Finance Manager!! He reminds me the property taxes are due (AGAIN!) in a couple of weeks. Not THIS time.

 

[Rhino]

And now......The People! I spoke to Captain David Ott. (very professional, serious looking) He's the Witchcraft's co-pilot on the upcoming Hop. ($400.00. Hey! less than last time!) His day job is skipper of an Airbus jet airliner, for a prominent airline, based in the Windy City.
He comments that the B-24J is a much more muscular airplane to fly, than the fly-by-wire Airbus.

Nine-O-Nine's right-seater is an affable, enthusiastic, Cessna 172 flight instructor, by the name of Nick Coutches (no, not furniture!) You can sense the pride he feels to fly the B-17G on this passenger flight. ($400.00) FAA reg's forbid flying in formation while carrying passengers (no interlocking field of fire then?) Chances are slim Nazi fighters will jump either Bomber, while over central Iowa. Thank you IANG!!
No one is allowed to throw anything out of either Aircraft. (no bombing then either? I tried to find Oscar Brand's "Glorifying Regulations" song to insert here. No soap.)

I talk to new people. Everyone knows I do it. I spied an aging Gent, wearing a USN Privateer Veterans ball cap. He was accompanied by his Son (?) and Daughter-in-Law (?) His name was Ray Prior.

When he was 19 years old, he served in the United States Navy, Flying Privateers with VPB-121 as an Aviation Machinist's Mate. He made emergency repairs, while airborne for up to 16 hours aboard his PB4Y-2 Privateer over hostile Pacific waters. His US Navy Privateer was similar to the USAAC Liberator. (Well, a little!) He was also his Aircraft's tail turret gunner. He was checking out the VPB's on Witchcraft, so I asked Ray about his unit, and his experience. he told me a story about a crash on Iwo Jima in 1945. It seems the pilot thought the co-pilot had control, and vice-versa, and the ol PB4Y-2 pranged herself onto the field, and bent both wings. "So, the Navy gave us another airplane, and we went back to work." He's lived in Ames, Iowa since 1949.

THIS is where the treasure of this kind of event can truly be unearthed. Ray shook my hand. I was honored to meet this Navy Vet, who, not so unlike many other youngsters of that era, gave his innocence, and his childhood, did his duty, and kept the Whole World safe from the forces of Tyranny. :salute ldguy

This is why I can build, and give away my Models. It's the very least I can do for being able to repose under the blanket of Liberty that Ray Prior, and his peers sacrificed so very much to provide.
Mr. Prior does not believe he did anything special. He's as sweet a Man as you could possibly wish to meet.

Thanks for looking in!!

 

[moon puppy]

Excellent post Chris. :salute

We need to talk to these guys and get their stories, they are leaving us every day and there's nothing we can do but honor their memories.