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The Bakersfield Californian Thursday, March 31, 2011
Eye Street
Index Soulajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 First Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Arts Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Scottish Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 The Lowdown with Matt Munoz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Marisa Johnson concert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Twilathon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30-31
Editor Jennifer Self | Phone 395-7434 | e-mail jself@bakersfield.com
“Liberty Belle is a living museum, our heritage not in mothballs or the pages of a dusty book, but real life, three dimensions, here and now.” — Scott Maher, Liberty Foundation spokesman
Winged warriors still flying WWII-era aircraft heading to Bakersfield BY DIANNE HARDISTY Contributing writer dhardisty@bak.rr.com
O
ne by one, the four 1,200horsepower Wright Cyclone engines roared to life, and the World War II-vintage B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber rolled down the runway at Meadows Field. With a pull on the controls, the pilot forced the lumbering Liberty Belle into the air. If you close your eyes and allow your imagination to take hold, you are one of the Greatest Generation’s “Flyboys,” a baby-faced aviator taking off for a death-defying bombing run over Europe or the Pacific. Instead, those strapped into seats in the belly of the restored aircraft Monday afternoon were reporters and photographers being taken on a joyride in advance of this weekend’s public exhibition and flights at Meadows Field. The restored Liberty Belle, a World War II “Flying Fortress,” and a Curtiss-Wright P-40E “Warhawk” fighter are being toured nationwide by the Liberty Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Douglas, Ga., that honors military veterans for their sacrifices and contributions to America’s freedoms. “Sixty-five years ago, these aircraft flew from bases far from home in an attempt to bring freedom to oppressed peoples,” said Liberty Foundation spokesman Scott Maher. “Our B-17 and P-40 mission for today is to educate the people of America about the courageous World War II veterans and remember those brave aircrew who never made it home. “Liberty Belle is a living museum, our heritage not in mothballs or the pages of a dusty book, but real life, three dimensions, here and now.” The Liberty Foundation’s 2011 Salute to Veterans tour will be open to the public on Saturday at the Epic Jet Center, a fixed-based operator located near the entrance to the Kern County Air-
port’s international terminal, west of Airport Drive. There is no charge to view the aircraft. The cost to take a 30minute flight in the B-17 Liberty Belle is $395 for foundation members and $430 for non-members. The cost of a flight in the P-40 is $950 for members and $1,050 for non-members. Passengers can become foundation members for $40 and receive the member discount for family and friends. To make reservations to take a flight, call 918-340-0243 or go to the foundation’s website at libertyfoundation.org. According to foundation officials, the cost per flight hour to operate and maintain the B-17 is $3,500. It takes 200 gallons of fuel per hour to power the Liberty Belle in flight. The organization spends $1 million annually to keep the aircraft flightworthy. Revenue from the flights funds the nationwide tours, upkeep of the aircraft and restoration of additional Warbird planes. Ninety-one-year-old Ben Robertson of Los Angeles accompanied the Liberty Belle crew to Bakersfield Monday afternoon for the media briefing. As a young pilot during World War II, Robertson flew B-17s in training and B29s in combat in the Pacific Theater. “I’ve been a pilot all my life,” said Robertson, who retired from a military reserve career and a civilian career in real estate and development. Still a private pilot, Robertson flies light aircraft today. A fit man who climbed easily into the Liberty Belle to help brief the media on the Flying Fortress’ attributes, Robertson said he hopes organizations such as the Liberty Foundation will fortify the nation’s respect for the aircraft and the men who flew them. He also said he hopes they will promote the next generation’s interest in flying.
This bird got around A total of 12,732 Boeing B-17s were produced between 1935 and May 1945. Of those, 4,735 were lost in combat. Following World War II, the aircraft was used in three more wars — the Korean War, the 1948 war in Israel and during the Vietnam War. Fewer
HENRY A. BARRIOS / THE CALIFORNIAN
The B-17 Liberty Belle taxis for a flight out of Meadows Field on Monday for a preview of what passengers will be able to experience when the aircraft returns to Bakersfield on Saturday.
Liberty Foundation’s 2011 Salute to Veterans tour When: Saturday; flights are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the aircraft will be grounded from 2:30 to 7 p.m. for tours. Where: Meadows Field, international terminal, 1105 Douglas St. Cost: Flights for B-17: $395 for foundation members, $430 for nonmembers; flights for P-40 $950 members, $1,050 nonmembers. (Passengers can become foundation members for $40 and use discount for family and friends.) To schedule flight: 918-3400243 or libertyfoundation.org
than 14 B-17s remain in operation today. According to the Liberty Foundation, a typical World War II mission for the B-17 often lasted more than eight hours and struck targets deep within enemy territory. A workhorse that dropped 640,036 tons of bombs on European targets alone, the B-17 was much loved by its flight crews. The aircraft had the ability to withstand heavy combat damage and still return home safely. The last configuration of the B-17 that was
built for World War II carried a crew of 10 and had guns in its chin, nose, top, ball turret, waist and tail. It also carried 8,000 pounds of bombs. The Liberty Belle that will be on display Saturday was built in the closing days of World War II and never saw combat. The airplane, which was sold for scrap to an Oklahoma mining company in 1947, was resold later that year to Pratt & Whitney, an aircraft engine manufacturer. For 20 years, it was used as an engine test platform until being donated in the 1960s to a Connecticut historical association. After the aircraft was damaged in a 1979 tornado, it was sold to a Florida man, whose restoration plans languished. In 2000, it was purchased by aviation enthusiast Don Brooks, whose goal was to restore a Flying Fortress. Brooks, whose father had flown in a B-17 during World War II, founded the Liberty Foundation to honor his late father and other veterans, and to raise money for Warbird restoration. Brooks named the B17 the Liberty Belle, the name of his father’s World War II plane. Restoration was completed in 2004 at a cost of $3.5 million. The foundation’s P-40E “Warhawk” fighter airplane that will be on display and flown Saturday was damaged during a land-
ing accident in 1941. Rather than repair the airplane, the military dug a hole and buried it. Fifty years later, aviation enthusiasts used military records to locate the burial site and recover the airplane. It took 20 years to restore the Warhawk, which returned to the skies in 2010. The P-40 Warhawk was a singleengine, single-seat fighter that flew first in 1938. It was flown by the air forces of 28 countries, including most of the Allied powers. While the aircraft’s lack of a two-stage supercharger made it a poor match for the German Luftwaffe fighters in high-altitude combat over Europe, it played a significant role in fighting in North Africa, the Southwest Pacific and China. The “shark mouth” logo on the sides of the P-40’s nose was famously identified with the Flying Tigers in China. The P-40E that will be on display and flown Saturday has been modified to include a back seat for one passenger. Liberty Foundation Pilot Ray Fowler, who flew the Liberty Belle to Bakersfield Monday for the media briefing, noted that through contributions to the foundation and public demand for flights, vintage World War II aircraft can be kept alive for generations to see, feel and appreciate.