World War II Planes to Arrive on Friday

World War II era planes will return to Beverly Airport again this weekend.

It will be the sixth straight year that the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour will make a stop at the Beverly-owned airport that is partly in Wenham.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Nine O Nine" WWII Heavy Bomber, Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Witchcraft" WWII Heavy Bomber, P-51 Mustang fighter "Betty Jane," PT-17 Stearman and T-6 Texan WWII trainer aircraft will all appear and be available for visitors to tour inside and out.

"It's the only stop on the national tour where we are able to have all of these," Collings spokesman Hunter Chaney said via cell phone from the tour's stop at North Central State Airport in Lincoln, R.I., on Tuesday. "It's kind of exclusive to the Beverly stop."

Typically, the Beverly stop averages 800-1,000 visitors per day, Chaney said.

The Wings of Freedom Tour has been happening for 21 years and stopped in Beverly for the past six years straight. The tour annually stops in about 110 cities in more than 35 states.

Chaney said it is also a great way to visit with World War II veterans and hear their stories.

"I greatly encourage people to come out to talk to them while they can," Chaney said, noting World War II veterans get in for free.

The aircraft on display are rare – the B-17 is one of only nine in flying condition in the United States and the B-24J and Dual Control P-51C Mustang are the only remaining planes of its type still flying in the world.

All of the aircraft will be on display on the Beverly side of the airport on LP Henderson Road, off Route 97 just over the Beverly city line from Wenham.

Admission is a suggested donation of $12 for adults and $6 for children.

The exhibit begins at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17. It will run until 5 p.m. that day and then 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18 and 19 and 9 a.m. to noon on Monday, Sept. 20.

Flights aboard the rare aircraft range from $230 for a 30-minute flight on the PT-17 Stearman to $450 for a 45-minute flight on a T-6 Texan. Flights on either the B-17 or B-24 are $425 per person and P-51 flights are $2,200 for a half-hour and $3,200 for a full hour.

The flights are offered before and after the on-the-ground tours.