PORT ANGELES — The B-24 Liberator landed at the William R. Fairchild International Airport on Thursday to join two other restored World War II-era planes for the final day of the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom living history exhibit tour stop.
The restored war bird flew in at 1:30 p.m. and was available for tours along with the B-17 Flying Fortress and P-51 Mustang, which had been in Port Angeles since noon Monday.
The planes will leave Port Angeles at about 9:45 a.m. or 10 a.m. today, said Alan Barnard, Port Angeles stop coordinator.
“It was great. Lot of fun to be here,” said Rob Collings, executive director of the Stow, Mass.-based Collings Foundation, from the Port Angeles airport Thursday.
Visitors could tour the planes — $12 for adults and $6 for children 11 years and younger, with World War II veterans touring for free — or ride aboard one of them for a heftier fee.
Turnout
“We’ve had great turnouts,” Collings said, adding he didn’t know how many people had toured the planes.
By Wednesday, more than 500 people had walked through the B-17 and P-51 Mustang, said Hunter Chaney, marketing director for the foundation based in Stow, Mass.
Four plane-loads flew on the B-17 — at $425 per person during the tour stop, Barnard said — while four flights were purchased on the Mustang at a cost of $2,200 for a half-hour or $3,200 for an hour.
The B-24, which had a new engine installed in Klamath Falls, Ore., originally was expected to arrive Tuesday on the second day of the tour stop but testing wasn’t complete, Barnard said.
On Wednesday, bad weather prevented the flight.
The B-24 crew made the three-hour flight Thursday.
Collings thanked volunteers who donated time, goods and services to the tour, which made its only North Olympic Peninsula stop in Port Angeles.
“Alan and all the volunteers do such a great job,” Collings said.
Ruddell Auto Mall donated the use of two minivans to the Wings of Freedom crew during the Port Angeles tour, while the Red Lion Hotel donated rooms, Collings said.
For more information about Wings of Freedom, an educational foundation, visit www.collingsfoundation.org.
