History flies into Chicago Executive Airport this weekend: WWII aircraft offer opportunity to touch the real thing

In the 1940s, they helped to save the free world from tyranny. This weekend, they’re making a scheduled visit to Chicago Executive Airport. They are three vintage warplanes that fought the Axis powers to their knees between 1941 and 1945: a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American P-51 Mustang.

The event is called the Wings of Freedom Tour. This is the 25th year that The Collings Foundation will crisscross the country exhibiting a variety of restored vintage aircraft. They make 110 to 115 stops this year and will be on hand for public inspection Friday, July 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. then again Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hunter Chaney, the director of marketing with The Collings Foundation, said that, in 25 years, they’ve made at least 2,930 stops to exhibit the aircraft.

“If you read about WWII history, it’s something you might remember,” Chaney said. “If you experience this, it’s something you never forget.”

On the one hand, the tours attract WWII veterans and their children. In some cases, the aircraft are the same types that visiting veterans flew, or flew in, during the war. Chaney said there are always quite a few veterans who come out to Chicago Executive Airport when The Collings Foundation is here. The reunion of man and machine is often rather emotional for those who remember flying in combat at least 69 years ago.

Chaney, however, said it’s equally impressive when children come to see the planes. He said the aircraft engage children about history in a way history books seldom can.

“The way people can interact with the planes in a tactile way, still holds its worth,” he said.

Inspection of the aircraft includes going through the inside of the B-17 and B-24, heavy bombers that flew to fame over Europe, the Pacific and many points in between.

All the planes are available for flights. A half-hour flight in the B-17 or B-24 is $450 per person. A half-hour flight in the P-51 is $2,200 and a full hour is $3,200. However, the flight in the Mustang is more than just a ride; it’s also a chance to fly the plane.

The Mustang was modified with a second cockpit behind the pilot. During the flight, the pilot turns over the controls to the passenger in back.

To learn more about The Collings Foundation, visit: www.collingsfoundation.org.