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Arts & Entertainment

History Comes To Life When You Get Close Up On a B-17 and B-24 Tour

A tour of the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator at Moffett Field

We have a son who is very interested in World War II.  All week long, he has been drawing pictures of the Battle of Midway.

Part of me is proud that he has taken such an interest in history as he draws Midway Atoll surrounded by the aircraft carriers; Yorktown, Hornet and Enterprise with U.S. flags drawn on them and the Japanese carriers; Kaga, Akagi, Hiryu, and Soryu. Another part of me has serious whether a 5-year old should be learning such things. 

So with these doubts in place we took our son to see the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator at Moffett.

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In my defense, this interest it WWII seemed like a harmless intersection of an early interest in planes and a Johnny Horton folk song we would listen to, “Sink the Bismarck."

Like some little boys are interested in cars or trains, ours took an interest in planes.  To facilitate this interest we would go to air shows and airports just to watch the planes. 

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When he was 3, we went to the Reno Air Races where he excitedly pointed out, "Look Mommy a Messerschmitt!" At age 3, my reaction is "Wow! He is learning a lot!" Now, at age 5, it’s ‘How do I feel about my son drawing carrier groups at Midway–when the battle was real event?’

Well, with that said we headed off with our budding aviator/military historian on our 4th annual trip to see these two war planes.  

Every year the Collings Foundation who maintains these two plane (as well as others) flies them to many locations to allow people to tour and fly in them. One of those locations has been Moffett Federal Airfield.

This year was a little different, though. Being quite aware of the impact of bombs, our son didn't want to get any where near the two “bomber” planes. (So maybe all those real context Midway drawings have given him a healthy respect for violence.) 

It was only after explaining that the bombs where just metal skins with nothing in them was he willing to go out onto the tarmac and crawl through the planes.

It truly is a crawl, stumble-and-be-careful-not-to-hit-your-head experience. These are not Boeing 747s, they are cramped. The visitor has a lot to think about, imagining what it was like to fly and fight in one of these planes. 

There were many conversations around us as others were trying to envision what must have been a terrifying experience—ultimately making history, "come alive."

Both the B-17 and the B-24 where heavy bombers used in WWII.  The B-24 has the special distinction of being the "most-produced military aircraft."  Even with the B-24 being made at one an hour and 650 per month in 1944, this B-24 operated by the Collings Foundation is the only one that now flies, making the tour extra-special. 

If you're are interested in touring these planes you can sign up for Collings Foundation e-newsletter. Or, just be aware that they are here along with an accompanying P-51 Mustang, in May of every year.  If you also have a budding aviator you could also join the Experimental Aircraft Association or EAA which has  many events including the "Young Eagels" which allows children between the ages of 8-17 to get a free flight in an airplane.

 Basics:

Access: Best bet is to enter Moffett via the main gate.   You’ll need to show the gate-guard your valid driver’s license and explain your B-17/B-24 destination.

Parking: Free. Make your way to the airfield entrance (with small control tower and white P-3 Orion airplane on display).  Lots of parking there. 

Tours:  Cost $12 for adults, $6 for kids under 12, and free for children 5 and younger.

Food: There are hamburgers, hotdogs and drinks sold under a small tent 

 

More information:

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm  Schedule for touring the B-17 and B-24

http://www.eaa.org/  

http://www.youngeagles.org/

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