Rare planes available for public tours
Some of the rarest birds in the sky are coming to Hollister.
Three World War II era bombers are due to touch down at the
Hollister Airport for public display from May 14-16.
Rare planes available for public tours
Some of the rarest birds in the sky are coming to Hollister.
Three World War II era bombers are due to touch down at the Hollister Airport for public display from May 14-16.
One of the three planes, a B-24J, is the last remaining example of its type in the world that is capable of flying.
The Wings of Freedom Tour, in collaboration with the Hollister Airmen’s Association, is bringing the planes to the local airport, which served as a Naval air training base during World War II.
Scheduled to taxi in are a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator and a North American B-25 Mitchell.
This is not the first display that Wings of Freedom has made at the local airport. The B-17 and B-24 both visited the airport before.
The bombers are all prop-driven craft, remarkable for their size. They bristle with gun turrets intended to keep enemy fighters at bay until their payloads of high explosives could be delivered to enemy targets.
Visitors to the airport will be able to explore them for a donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Thirty-minute flights also are available for $425 per person aboard the B-17 or B-24 or $400 on the B-25. A ride in the waist gun section of the B-25 is available for $325. Reservations and further information are available by calling 800-568-8924.
The Wings of Freedom Tour is underwritten by the Collings Foundation, a non profit organization devoted to organizing living history events. The Hollister stop is part of an annual tour that visits some 130 cities across the nation.
The planes are scheduled to touch down at 2 p.m. May 14. they will remain on display until departure at noon May 16. Ground tours will be available 2-5 May 14, 9 a.m.-5 pm. May 15 and 9 a.m.-noon May 16. The flights are usually scheduled before and after display hours.
Further information is available through Kory Stendell, 638-9921.
