Real Life Warbirding

Greetings, comrades!

September is closing fast, and the crisp smell of fall is in the air (at least here in NY, where I live.) A changing of the seasons does not impede the progress in my professional pilot journey, however. As I alluded to in previous postings, I was invited to take a "tour of duty" with the Collings Foundation. This past week, I took advantage of the opportunity.

The Collings Foundation operates a fleet of aircraft, ranging from WWI to the Vietnam War Era. They run the "Wings of Freedom" tour, which sees their P-51, B-24, B-17, and B-25 go from coast-to-coast, year-round. While on tour, they sell rides in these famous WWII birds. I joined up with the Collings' crew in Brunswick, ME. I had never been to Maine before, and my family has roots there, so I figured it would be a neat experience. I departed from Rochester, for Portland, Wednesday AM. I flew on an ultra-sleek Canadair CRJ-200, to catch my connection from Philadephia to Maine.

Early AM departure from KROC

Good 'ole D52 (Geneseo Airport/Warplane Museum), from 20,000'

The mighty Delaware River, coming into Philadelphia (KPHL)

The CRJ served me well

After staying in Philly long enough for a cup of coffee (literally, I did that!), I boarded an Embraer 170, for the last leg of the journey to ME.

Always be ready!

Flying off the coast of the Atlantic

I was spoiled during this flight

Embraer served me well, also!

The flight into Maine was absolutely beautiful, it was everything I expected (and then some.) I waited a couple hours for my pickup, Steve, to arrive with the Collings' crew van. Before I knew it, I was on my way up to KBXM, Brunswick Municipal Airport. Steve was very friendly, and pointed out Bowdoin College to me along the way, as I had mentioned that my Great Grandfather attended school there. We arrived at Brunswick about an hour later, and I was "awestruck" as I began to meet the rest of the crew and, of course, the aircraft.

B-17G "Nine-O-Nine"

TF-51D "Toulouse Nutz"

Longtime Collings B-17 Pilot, "Mac," onlooking as the TF taxis out for a flight

My 1st day was really interesting! I got to meet the rest of the "gang," all of them very friendly folks. I even met up with a familiar face, Mark Murphy, who flies his P-51D "Never Miss" routinely at our Geneseo Airshow. In fact, Mark was my "roomie," which helped acclimate me to the tour better. The 1st night, the crew went out to an Irish Pub for dinner, it was great fun.

Day 2 was good for me, I really began to "fit in" and get a feel for how the tour functions. I did a little bit of everything, from cleaning/fueling/oiling the B-24 Liberator, to helping sell t-shirts/admission. Furthermore, I got a surprise visit from my good friend/flight instructor Jeremy, and his student TJ! They flew down the coast to see me. A real treat!

"You're gonna need a bigger rag..."

Yup, I'm hooked...

Day 3 of the tour was a "moving day," where the crew/airplanes all move on to the next stop on the journey. For us, the next leg was to Worcester, MA. Before we packed up and left, however, I got to take part in something very special. A WWII Veteran, who piloted 24 combat missions over Europe in a B-24, stopped by to visit. Robert P. and I got the privilege of putting this man back up in the cockpit for the 1st time, after 71 years. The stories he told were remarkable, and I will never forget the experience. Thank you for your service, sir.

A true hero...

After giving the tour, we departed for Worcester Regional Airport (KORH.) I elected to fly there in the B-25 Mitchell. This was very special for me, and my longtime friend Chuck England had flown these in WWII. I'll put up another post about Chuck in the near future, he was a huge part of me becoming a pilot. 

I had the whole back of the B-25 to myself, it was really cool! On the way to Worcester, we even got in a little formation flying...

My Great Grandpa's Alma Mater, Bowdoin College

Formation with B-24 & TF-51D

What an amazing experience, it was!

Once we arrived in Worcester, we were greeted by a huge crowd of enthusiastic airplane fans. We kept busy with tours and rides all day. 

The TF-51 makes a great subject for picture-taking...

By the end of the day, I was exhausted. My hat goes off to all those Collings' crew and volunteers who do this for any length of time, it is a lot of work (but very rewarding.) That night, we had dinner with the rest of the Collings' crew from Stowe, MA. Lots of good food and good stories were shared. I went to bed early that night, and left early the next AM to catch my flight @ Boston-Logan Int'l. I caught a taxi over to the airport, with the most friendly of drivers! I even got a little-impromptu tour of downtown on the way. From Boston, I flew to Newark aboard an Embraer 170 to catch my connecting flight home, to KROC. 

Beautiful scene after takeoff from Boston

We even came into some IMC conditions en route to Newark, 11th in Command log time, anyone?

IKEA! The coolest part of Newark

My lay-over in Newark ran long, but it was no big deal. After a quick tire issue was addressed with the Embraer ERJ-145 we were to ride on, we were on our way. The -145 is my favorite airliner, I've always liked the sleek looks of it. She got me home safe, once again!

Embraer ERJ-145

Overall, my trip was a complete success. I stepped outside my "comfort zone," and tried something new in the field of aviation and warbirds. I cannot thank the awesome crew/volunteers at the Collings Foundation for taking me "under their wing(s.)" I learned a lot, and most importantly, I had fun! I will be back, for sure. Now, I need to focus of flying the PA28-200R Arrow for my Commercial Pilot's License. Until next time "Keep 'Em Flying," and "Never, Never, Never Give Up."