World War II History Takes Flight In Statesville

In honor of America's Greatest Generation, the Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom Tour is bringing extremely rare bomber and fighter aircraft to Statesville Regional Airport (238 Airport Road), October 25-27. This unique display of military aviation history is part of a 110-city nationwide tour and will include a vintage World War II-era Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, and North American P-51 Mustang.

Visitors are invited to get up close and explore the aircraft inside and out. Admission is $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. You can even take a 30-minute flight aboard these rare aircraft, but that will cost you a little more. B-25 flights are $400 per person. Flights on either the B-17 or B-24 are $450 per person. And how would you like to get some “stick time” in the P-51 Mustang? Flight training is $2,200 for a half hour and $3,200 for a full hour.

Hours for ground tours are: 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM on Wednesday, October 25th; 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 26th; and 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Friday, October 27th. The 30-minute flight experiences are normally scheduled before and after the ground tour times. For reservations and more details, call 1-800-568-8924.