Planes come and go at Chicago Executive Airport every day. It’s not every day, however, when those planes include seasoned warriors from WWII. Such will be the case this weekend when the Collings Foundation flies in to CEA for The Wings of Freedom Tour.
The event will allow visitors to get up close and personal with a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American P-51 Mustang. The prior two are four-engine bombers famous for carrying the war to the Germans in the skies over Europe, as well as fighting in the Pacific and other theaters. The latter, the Mustang, is a single-engine fighter considered one of the best piston aircraft of the war.
“You don’t get this experience reading a history book or watching a program on the History Channel,” said Jamie Abbott, assistant airport manager at CEA. “This is real and tangible. It’s one of those rare opportunities you’ll remember all your life.”
Hunter Chaney, the director of marketing for the Collings Foundation, said this is the group’s 24th year touring the country. The national tour makes approximately 100 stops as it zigzags across the country. The total trip covers close to 25,000 miles.
For only $12 ($6 for children under 12), visitors can have a close-up viewing of the planes and take tours inside the aircraft (discount rates for school groups). Want to take a ride in a World War II aircraft? Half-hour rides in the B-17 and B-24 are available for $425 per person. P-51 flights are $2,200 for half an hour and $3,200 for a full hour.
The event runs from 2 to 5 p.m., Friday, July 26; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28. Chicago Executive Airport is located at the northwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Palatine Road. The entrance to The Wings of Freedom is off Milwaukee Avenue.
