— courtesy NCDOT
(https://www.ncdot.gov/aviation/ and https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=14365)
RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation and the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority are proud to host the Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom Tour, giving people in the Triangle a one-of-a-kind chance to see living aviation history.
The tour features four living WWII aircraft – a B-17 Flying Fortress, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, a B-25 Mitchell bomber and a P-51 Mustang – as well as educational displays and activities from NCDOT, RDU International Airport, the USO, the N.C. Museum of History, the National D-Day Memorial, Civil Air Patrol, SAS’ Data On The Fly STEM project, Wings of Carolina, and more.
This is a rare opportunity to visit, explore and learn more about these unique pieces of aviation history. Visitors are invited to explore the aircraft inside and out, with tickets costing $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Veterans of the Second World War will be admitted for free. General admission tickets are available only at the event, not online or by phone. Visitors may also experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a 30-minute flight aboard these rare aircraft.
The aircraft will be open to the public at the following times, with the reserved flights taking place before and after the public openings:
Thursday, Oct. 19: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 20: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 21: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 22: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visitors should arrive at the airport via the Lumley Road entrance, to avoid creating traffic back-ups in the arrival and departure areas of RDU. Signage will be in place to guide motorists to Lumley Road via I-540. Parking for attendees is at RDU Park & Ride Lot 2 (near the observation deck), with handicap parking next to the event entrance. A shuttle bus will take attendees from the parking lot to the entrance.
For more information, or to reserve a flight in one of the aircraft, please call the Collings Foundation at 800-568-8924 or visit collingsfoundation.org.
***NCDOT***