Collings Foundation Grounds Air Tour for WWII Aircraft

The Collings Foundation is ending its decades-long Wings of Freedom tour and putting its aircraft on permanent display at its Massachusetts museum.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, November 30, 2023 at 05:16 PM ET

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Aircraft from the Wings of Freedom tour will be put on display at the Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum. [Courtesy: Hunter Chaney]

Key Takeaways:

The Collings Foundation has ended its "Wings of Freedom" nationwide flying tour of World War II aircraft, transitioning to permanent display and museum-based education at its American Heritage Museum in Massachusetts.
This decision follows the fatal 2019 B-17 "Nine-O-Nine" crash, which the NTSB attributed to maintenance failures, the Foundation's ineffective safety management, and inadequate FAA oversight.
The FAA subsequently prohibited the Collings Foundation from offering paid flight experiences, contributing to the tour's cessation and fueling broader calls to ground remaining B-17s due to recurring safety incidents.

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“In the wake of the 2019 B-17 Flying Fortress accident…” The message begins in the Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum newsletter, “We are moving forward on our long-term plans to bring the aircraft from a nationwide flying exhibition to permanent display here in Massachusetts.”

For decades, the Wings of Freedom tour brought World War II aircraft to thousands of aviation fans at airports across the country, offering rides for a price aboard the Boeing B-17G, B-25, B-24, and P-51D.