The Collings Foundation  brought the "Wings of Freedom Tour" to Missoula International yesterday until noon tomorrow.  

The four aircraft visiting Missoula included a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress bomber, a B-24 Liberator bomber (the only one flying at this time), a North American B-25 Mitchell, and a TP-51 Mustang (2-seater). They have been on display at the Museum of Mountain Flying at the airport.

Went to the airport today to see the aircraft since one doesn't see them often and who knows when they won't be around anymore. Got to get up close to and crawl through a B-17 and B-24 (they look BIG on the outside but are amazingly tight inside).  The P-51 and B-25 were real close but set off from the public.  The P-51 was doing regular flights out with paying single customers, and you were only about 30 ft. away from it as it came in and departed.

All the aircraft are available for flights but the big bombers were only flying after 1700 hrs. The B-17 has been flying up and down the Bitterroot over the house the last 2 days.  

For those with deeper pockets than me flights on the B-17 or the B-24 cost $450 per person, B-25 flights costs $400 per person, and P-51 flights cost $2,200 for a half-hour and $3,200 for a full hour.

The Museum had a lot of smoke jumper stuff, including a DC-3 that one could go into that was used for Smoke jumping. Lots of other display aircraft in their display/museum hanger.

Admission to the Museum was $3 and $15 to go out to the WW2 birds.

The "Tour" moves east of the Divide to Bozeman July 7 (1500) to July 9 at 1700, and then to Billings July 10 (0800 to July 12 (1700).

Amazing aircraft and history.

They're heading your way early next week. :)

Glad you were able to see & crawl through them.

It's amazing how big we think they were when watching movies and see historical pics but in real life they're not all that big on the outside, and pretty cramped on the inside.  I wouldn't have wanted to be the tail and/or ball turrets gunners in the B-17.

I think our ancestors that flew those aircraft under those conditions were a lot tougher than we are today.

My great uncle was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 and spent a few years doing that job over the sky's of Germany during WWII, he ended up getting shot down and spent  time in a POW camp, escaped a few times and finally was liberated, some of the stories he told was amazing.

In this link for the  Chardi, on the third picture, Uncle Jim is the last man to the right.

Sgt, James Magruder, BTG

http://www.447bg.com/Chardi%20Crew.htm

He was a great guy and one of my favorite hero's while I grew up, watched a PBS special on him several years ago where he actually told many more stories than he ever told us in the family.

Thank you Uncle Jim for your service and sacrifice.

They came down here several years ago.  I promised myself I'd go for the full hour flight if they stopped by again.