Museum to show WWII planes

OWLS HEAD — The skies will be filled with the roar of four-engine World War II bombers as part of a salute to local veterans in this 50th anniversary year marking the end of World War II.

The B-17 Flying Fortress Nine-O-Nine and the B-24 Liberator All American will arrive at about 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, at the Knox County Regional Airport.

The bombers will be on display at the Owls Head Transportation Museum and open for public tours from arrival until 7 p.m. Sept. 2, then from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3, during the museum’s An- tique Motorcycle Festival and Airshow, which which will feature more than 200 antique motorcycles.

The B-17 is the most widely recognized bomber of World War II. The B-17 Flying Fortress was widely recognized for its high altitude strategic bombing effectiveness and its ability to absorb tremendous punishment, then bring its crew back alive. The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress is named Nine-O-Nine after a plane belonging to the 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, Bassingbourn, England. Nine-O-Nine flew 140 combat missions without a single abort or crew fatality.

The original Nine-O-Nine flew home from England in 1945 with more than 600 holes in it, but fell victim, as did thousands of others, to the scrapping frenzy that turned aircraft into pots and pans.

In tribute, the Collings Foundation of Stow, Mass., has restored its B-17 to look as Nine-O-Nine did in 1945, including the original nose art.

The B-24 All American is the only flying and restored B-24 in the world. During World War II, Liberators dropped more bombs and flew more missions than any other aircraft.

The B-24 served in every theater of operations during the war and flew for 15 Allied countries. America produced more B-24s — 18,479 — than any other aircraft. The All American is named after an aircraft of the 461st Bomb Group, 15th Air Force, which on July 25, 1944, was one of 19 B-24s that raided the tank works in Linz, Austria. The squadron was attacked by 125 Luftwaffe fighters. The crew of the All American shot down 14 enemy fighters, and the airplane was one of only two B-24s to make it back.

The cost to fully restore this combat veteran from graveyard condition to prize-winning status was more than $1.3 million, along with thousands of volunteer hours and donated parts and materials. The present operating costs of the B-17 and B-24 are $2,000 per hour.

Sponsorship rides on each plane are being offered by the Collings Foundation at a cost of $300 per person. The flights are tentatively scheduled for 7 and 7:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 2 and 7 and 8:15 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 3. Each flight will hold seven passengers. For more information about these special flights or to reserve a seat, call the museum at 594-4418.