Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom tour Worcester,MA stop

[chainfeed]

Anyone else make it out to Worcester, MA this past weekend? Nice little show as usual since many of the Collings Foundation's A/C are stored there. When I went they had the following out.
-P40 "284" pearl harbor survivor
-Corsair
-A36 Apache "Baby Carmen"
-Spitfire BR601
-Skyraider
-B25 Tondelayo
-TF-51 Toulouse Nuts
-B24 Witchcraft

Their B17 "909" was not there when I went on saturday, apparently it had an engine failure while on a passenger flight in Burlington Vermont and had to come in on 3 engines! That must have made for an interesting ride... They're replacing the engine in Burlington and she's expected to rejoin the tour asap.

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Last edited by chainfeed on Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

[chainfeed]

a few more pictures

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[chainfeed]

few more

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[phil65]

Was hoping to go, but went to the Simsbury, Ct. fly-in instead.

Thanks for the photos...

Phil

[menards]

Where is the P-38? will it return to the Northeast?

[JohnTerrell]

Last I head, the P-38 was being stripped to bare metal and a new paint scheme (a bare metal based scheme) to be applied. I think I read that this is being done at American Aero Services in Florida, and of course it will be stunning to see it in bare metal and the colorful markings it will bare.

[whistlingdeath77]

The last I knew about the b-17 909 was it did indeed lose the number 2 engine in a flex flight. A new engine was driven up to Vermont,( where the 909 is stuck,) from Florida. Sending the engine via airplane was not cost effective. The new engine was mounted along with the prop. Testing on that engine didn’t go too well and they again are waiting on another engine to arrive from Florida. Mac and a mechanic are with the 909. Currently, she has missed stops in Portland,me, Worcester,ma, hyannis,ma with the possibility of missing 2-3 more cities. Hopefully the situation will be fixed soon and the queen of the skies will be all set

[phil65]

I heard it was the # 3 engine, but no biggie...

Phil

Last edited by phil65 on Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[kalamazookid]

Directly from the CF Facebook page:

The Collings Foundation's beloved B-17 Flying Fortress "Nine-O-Nine" is undergoing a #3 engine replacement in Burlington, VT. On September 15th, after a flight, the crew started looking into issues that they experienced and after inspection, the engine was determined to be failing. A spare engine was sent out, but unfortunately that spare encountered additional problems and a second spare is enroute to Vermont as you read this. Due to this, the B-17 has been down since the 15th and will likely be down until the end of the week. Engine replacements performed "on the road" are very costly, with total expenses soaring well above $75,000 - and even more when considering the expense of a second spare engine as we are encountering now. As you may know, the flight experience donations received from visitors flying in "Nine-O-Nine" are a very important part of keeping the Wings of Freedom Tour flying across the nation each year, so the loss of this fundraising makes it even more tough.
If "Nine-O-Nine" has ever touched your heart in the past, we appreciate your help in defraying some of the costs from this expensive and unexpected maintenance. Please click on the link below to go to our donation page for the B-17 "Nine-O-Nine" and help where you are able. Thank you so much!
https://75700a.blackbaudhosting.com/757 ... ine-O-Nine

Thanks for posting pics from the Worcester tour stop. I'm still kicking myself for missing the A-36 at Thunder a few years ago.

[Dennis7423]

My understanding is that the P-38 is going to bear "Pudgy IV" markings once completed. Should look stunning!

- Dennis S.
Thornton, CO USA

[luft109]

How awesome would it be to see Collings A-36, Comanche's A-36, The new "XP-51", and POF P-51A flying together!

[whistlingdeath77]

Any updates on the 909??