World War II planes to come to Peninsula with Wings of Freedom Tour – Peninsula Daily News

PORT ANGELES Classic World War II planes will return to the North Olympic Peninsula this month as the Wings of Freedom Tour lands in Port Angeles on June 21.

The vintage warbirds will be featured at William R. Fairchild Memorial Airport from June 21-23.

Members of the public can walk-through or fly in the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell or P-51 Mustang as part of the Collings Foundations 110-city nationwide living history display.

This years tour stop the eighth in Port Angeles since 2004 will feature more activities on the tarmac with a vintage car show, live music, no-host barbecue, hot air balloon, dragster and possibly a Coast Guard helicopter.

The Port [of Port Angeles] wanted to help support the Wings of Freedom with a little more involvement than in past years, said Dan Gase, real estate and business manager for the port, which operates the airport.

The events will take place the afternoon and evening of June 21, a Wednesday.

Longtime Wings of Freedom Area Coordinator Alan Barnard said the theme for this years stop in Port Angeles is Salute to Veterans.

I want to have a 100 percent focus on veterans, Barnard told Clallam County commissioners Tuesday.

Barnard, who received a proclamation recognizing Wings of Freedom Days, said the idea is to tell the story of the cost of freedom through these airplanes.

The airplanes are cool, but the airplanes are part of the story, Barnard said.

Barnard is making arrangements for local World War II veterans to ride on the airplanes for free.

Every visit I look for opportunities to communicate between World War II veterans and our younger people, to put them together, to create dialogue where our younger people realize, I hope, a little better why we have what we have today, Barnard told commissioners.

And had it not been for the brave men and women of our armed forces in the past, in all wars, we would be looking at a totally different country than we have today.

The cost of entry to Wings of Freedom is $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger.

Half-hour flights on the B-25 are $400 per person. Half-hour flights on the B-17 or B-24 are $450 per person.

Flight training with stick time on the P-51 fighter is $2,200 for 30 minutes or $3,200 for an hour.

Since the Massachusetts-based Collings Foundation is a nonprofit, the majority of the flights are tax deductible, officials said.

The Wings of Freedom Tour previously stopped in Port Angeles in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015.

With help from the port, Barnard said this years tour stop has been ratcheted up with more events after the planes arrive.

We wanted to help raise it a bit and just have a party for Port Angeles, said Gase, a Port Angeles City Council member and recent aerospace business development specialist for the port.

A big part of it is to help raise awareness of the airport.

The bomber and fighter aircraft are scheduled to arrive at William R. Fairchild from Bremerton at about noon June 21.

The barbecue, hosted by the Port Angles Red Lion, will be in the west block hanger from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. June 21.

The band Fat Chance will perform in an adjacent hanger from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Gase said.

The car show will be in front of the terminal throughout the day June 21. Classic, vintage or show car owners are welcome to participate.

For information on the Wings of Freedom tour, click on the Collings Foundation website at http://www.cfdn.org.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.

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World War II planes to come to Peninsula with Wings of Freedom Tour - Peninsula Daily News