The Orangerie: Air Show Overload, Part 2

May 11, 2012: Aviation Week continues.

The Collings Foundation is an organization that maintains and flies a group of older planes, and travels around the country exhibiting them at airports, spending a few days in one place before moving on. Almost every year, they come through Orange County, at John Wayne Airport. The planes they tour with on their "Wings of Freedom Tour" are a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator, and a P-51 Mustang. At the airport, they were parked at the Lyon Air Museum, which has their own B-17, a B-25, C-47, DC3, and a few other period aircraft and cars. The Lyon Museum occasionally flies their own planes, and I have seen their B-17 departing or returning to Orange County Airport, but when The Collings Foundation is in town, their planes come and go several times each day. For a few dollars, they will let you walk around and through the planes parked on the ramp; for many more more dollars, they will give you a thirty-minute ride. My Brother, Tony, was here to visit for the weekend, so we went down to take the tour.

Lyon Museum DC-3

DC-3 engine

Lyon Museum B-17, "Fuddy Duddy"

The B-17 is our favorite bomber, and is an icon of American World War 2 history. Its profile is a beautiful 1930s design, and for a heavy bomber, looks quite elegant.

Collings Foundation B-17, "909"

Front seats

Inside, looking at the top of the ball turret.

Ball turret

B-17 nose.

Nose art. Photo by Tony Austin.

The B-24, on the other hand, has a shape that is all business, but is a little hard to love. The overwing configuration with the pendulous belly seems a bit ponderous, but we really enjoy watching and hearing it fly.

Collings Foundation B-24 "Witchcraft"

Waist gun window.

Please observe all posted instructions.

Interior view forward toward cockpit. Photo by Tony Austin.

B-24 nose. Photo By Tony Austin

Walking forward through bomb bay. Photo by Tony Austin.

Their P-51 is a two-seat "C" model. Its not quite as pretty as a "D", but this is an unusual model, and one of only a few to be fitted with a second seat and a second full set of controls and instruments for flight training.