Press Release from Geoffrey Roth Watch Engineering GEOFFREY HH ROTH TAKES THE AVIATOR WATCH TO NEW HEIGHTS Geoffrey Roth Watch Engineering has partnered with the Collings Foundation to pay tribute to the B-24J “Witchcraft” Liberator. This watchmaking brand and the non-profit organization share a passion for the preservation of American history and fine craftsmanship. The […]
Dear supporters, Please join the Collings Foundation in our thoughts and prayers with those who were on the tragic flight of the B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine-O-Nine” on Wednesday, October 2nd. We will be forever grateful to the heroic efforts of the first responders at Bradley International Airport and the assistance of all local agencies in […]
Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were on that flight and we will be forever grateful to the heroic efforts of the first responders at Bradley. The Collings Foundation flight team is fully cooperating with officials to determine the cause of the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress and will comment further when […]
The epic journey to return the oldest and most historically significant Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina in flying condition to the United States has begun. PBY-5A Bu. No. 2459 departed Lelystad Airport (EHLE) in the Netherlands on May 29th, 2019 for Wick, Scotland (EGPC) to prepare the PBY for the transoceanic crossing of the North Atlantic. The […]
Progress is moving forward with the construction of the American Heritage Museum at our headquarters in Stow, MA! The building is now fully enclosed and work has started on the inside of the building to prepare it for exhibit installation this Spring and Summer. Over the coming weeks, construction crews will finish the installation of […]
The Collings Foundation has started the restoration of Fairchild PT-19A serial number 43-31512, one of the last known primary trainer aircraft that served to train the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African-American military aviators and servicemen that fought in World War II. This historic aircraft will join our Boeing PT-17 Kaydet “Stearman” s/n 41-25454 […]
The American Heritage Museum at the Collings Foundation is finally taking shape on the Stow / Hudson, MA line after many years of planning and development – as we move forward with a projected late 2018 opening.
The Wings of Freedom tour crew is comprised of an amazing and dedicated group of people. Pre-flight experience briefings from the crew are always captivating and suspenseful. Just inside the waist door of the B-17 is a hand hold. You have to look for it on the top leading edge. The medal is smooth and […]
P-38L-5-LO “44-53186” was one of a hundred thousand plus aircraft ordered in fiscal 1944 by the U.S. War Department. The P-38 design had been improving rapidly as this aircraft was being assembled in 1945. 44-53186 would be born as an “L dash 5” P-38, considered the best and most capable of the fighter P-38 variants. […]
The Collings Foundation’s TF-51D Mustang (551CF) will be ready to join the national Wings of Freedom Tour in 2016. This is one of the world’s finest TF-51D restorations to date. Tens of thousands of hours went into rebuilding this fighter to “brand new” condition. Every surface, rivet, wire and instrument is perfect. The 1450 hp […]
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-Americans who served in the 447th bomber group and the 332nd Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Force during WWII. These young men included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air. They were named […]
The Evergreen Aviation Museum collection in Oregon recently sold their P-38 Lightning and B-17G Flying Fortress to help the museum during a restructuring and reorganization. With generous donor support, the aircraft will be operated by the Collings Foundation. The P-38 is a unique and rare survivor. This famous WWII aircraft helped turn the tide in […]
Born in 1878, Glenn Curtiss was an aviation pioneer of the United States aircraft industry. Curtiss began his career building bicycles. Mastering the day’s best technology, he moved on to create intricately designed motorcycles. Testament to his ingenuity was his ability to make the most efficient parts from crude materials. For example, his first motorcycle […]
This article is featured in the 2015-2016 Collings Foundation magazine: Collings Foundation – A view of the lower ground level of the hanger. Clockwise from upper center: Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, North American AT-6 Texan, Grumman G-21 Goose, Waco UPF-7 biplane, Boeing PT-17 Stearman “Kaydet,” VW Kübelwagen, Fieseler Fi-156 Storch observation aircraft, VW Schwimmwagen, […]
-by Jerry Ritter, first published in the Eugene Register-Guard, later republished in Flightlines, the newsletter of the Oregon 8th Air Force Historical Society and in Can Do Notes, the national magazine of the 305th Bombardment Group Memorial Association Her name was “Nine-O-Nine.” An olive drab ghost from the past, she sat quietly on the tarmac […]