When I arrived at the Kissimmiee Air Museum, the sun was out and the day was warming up nicely, with almost no clouds to speak of. The Collings Foundation stores their B-25J Mitchell medium bomber there, since she has had a persistent oil leak problem. If she looks familiar, I've shot her before, and others like her. Or, you're a history buff, and know that the B-25 Mitchell, though the "B" version instead of the "J" here, was the aircraft Jimmy Doolittle used to strike Tokyo flying off the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Here we have a couple shots of "Tondelayo".
No Autographs, please........I'm shy!
Nestled under her wing.
Looking ready to launch. I liked the fact that she was parked at an angle to the taxiway center-line
So, of course, I dropped to my stomach and shot down the line towards her.
The First of the Heavies to arrive was the gorgeous Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, stalwart of WWII in Europe. The Foundation's aircraft is painted as "Nine O Nine", and th sound of the four-engined heavy bomber was immestakable as she came in over the tree line to do a pass before landing. If you have seen the movies "The Memphis Belle" or "Twelve O'Clock High" this is the kind of bomber that was the star of those films.
Graceful lines
Coming in to land
Nine-O-Nine taxis toward me
I love the symmetry
After she had gotten all parked and set up, we heard over the tower radio that "Witchcraft", the Consolidated B-24J Liberator, was in the approach pattern. The B-24 was the most mass-produced American bomber of the war, and she fought in all the theatres, with the USAAF and the USN. Sadly, today, there are only three airworthy examples left in the world, (I have shot all three) and only two that regularly fly (and I now have airborne shots of both). From your left.........a little Witchcraft!
She kind of looks like a flying pig from this angle....
Y'know, no matter where I go, there's always some yabo that thinks it's ok to walk in front of me when I'm shooting. Not the guy in Blue, he's staff.....but the other two.....actually, the guy on the right was pretty cool, he was a mechanic on Liberators in the war. I let him stand in front of me assuming I could shoot over him. Never saw him in the viewfinder, but....lol. Dude on the left, however......jumped in front of me more than once.
bomb bay doors snap open as she is marshaled into position
Well, hello gorgeous!
Finally, while "Witchcraft" was still shutting down, the Foundation's North American TP-51C Mustang, "Betty Jane" roared by overhead and set up for landing.
Note the elongated cockpit. This is a modified P-51C that has two fully functional sets of controls.
No one in front of me THIS time!!
and into the shelter.
Shiny
After all the birds were safely down, they were opened up for tours (for a small fee, of course) and you could even get rides in them (for a much larger fee). Of course, I did the former, but would have had to sell an arm for the latter. Interior shots can be found on my Picasa site here, which also has more of these beautiful ladies, and some of the RA-5C over in Sanford. For video of the Foundation arrivals, go to my YouTube channel.
As many of you know, I don't shoot people much, but I have always wanted to do a pin-up or period style shoot with vintage Warbirds. As the photographer, TYVM. So if anyone wants to be my subject, let me know. I already know the fine folks at Fantasy of Flight would accommodate me by moving birds into the open, so.......
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