I spent Saturday at the Loveland / Fort Collins airport viewing the Wings of Freedom tour. Even though it was only 10:30am, as I drove up I could tell that the runway was packed with other WWII aviation enthusiasts. The lines to tour the planes were long, full of people ranging from small kids to elderly veterans in their various WWII veteran hats. It was an honor to meet some of them.
On display was the B-17 Flying Fortress Nine O Nine, the B-24 Liberator Witchcraft, and the P-51 Mustang Betty Jane. All were amazing. Round the planes out with a few classic cars, a few uniformed German and GI soldiers, a few bi-planes, and the normal air traffic (mostly helicopters) and the morning was great fun.
For approx $500, you can fly in the bombers. For $3200, you can book an hour with the P-51. I heard its worth every penny. I saw it take up 3 different people while I was there. Even though the $3200 is slightly out of my budget, I just enjoyed seeing it start its engine and taxi down the runway.
I was able to view the planes and sketch them for several hours. Because the lines were long, I never did make inside the bombers. It was quite hot in the sun… probably at least 95 degrees by the planes. During that time I think I burned my neck and arms to a crisp…. must remember sunscreen next time.
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