Walter Hushak (Lewis High Class of '41),

organizes local "Wings of Freedom" stop

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The Waterbury-Oxford Airport will host three vintage planes — a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, a North American B-25 Mitchell and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator —this Thursday through Sept. 10, with the aircraft being open for tours and flights.
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Veterans will come to educate visitors, especially younger people, about the sacrifices they made during the war, according to Southington's Walter Hushak, who was a pilot on a B-24. He's been in contact with men around the state who flew on the planes and has invited them to talk to people when the planes arrive Thursday.

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The planes will be on display for tours and rides at the airport as part of the Collings Foundation, of Stowe, Mass., "Wings of Freedom Tour." The nonprofit foundation was founded in 1979 to support living history events that enable Americans to learn more about their heritage through direct participation. The tour showcases a fully-restored 1944 B-24 Liberator, a B-25 and a B-17 Flying Fortress.

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Rides (they are 30 minutes) will be $425 per person for the B-17 or B-24 and $325/$400 per person for the B-25. Walk-through tours are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. For more information, call (860) 276-0749 or (978) 562-9182. To make a reservation for a flight, call (800) 568-8924. For further information, go to: www.collingsfoundation.org.

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Tour information - Sept. 6: 2-5 p.m.; Sept. 7: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sept. 8: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sept. 9: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sept. 10: 9 a.m.-noon.

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Posted with thanks to the Republican-American