WWII bombers flying into Livermore Airport WWII bombers flying into Livermore Airport (May 28, 2004)

Famous aircraft land Sunday for 3-day show

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of D-Day landings in France that signaled the turning point in World War II, two of the country's strategic bomber planes of that war will on display at the Livermore Airport starting on Memorial Day.

Kevin Ryan of Pleasanton, the Livermore tour coordinator, said a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, are expected to arrive at the airport between 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday, May 30, for a three-day visit. They will be on display from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Memorial Day, and on Tuesday, June 1. They will also be on view from 9 a.m., Tuesday, June 2, to their scheduled departure at noon that day.

The B-17 Flying Fortress was the wartime comrade of the B-24 and one of the most familiar bombers in the public eye during WWII, Ryan said. It was made famous with movies such as "Memphis Belle" and "12 O'Clock High." Only nine B-17s remain in flying condition of the 12,000 that were built during the war years.

The B-24 Liberator was the most heavily produced multi-engine aircraft ever and the single most produced warplane during WWII. Owned by the Collings Foundation, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator to be shown at Livermore is the last one still flying out of 18,000 that were produced. Ryan said the B-24 "flew more missions in all combat theaters, dropped more bombs and was flown by more crewmen than any other aircraft during the war."

In Livermore, as part of a 120-city nationwide tour, the two planes will be open for walkthroughs, with time given to visitors who want to stand in the cockpit, climb through the bomb bay or swing waist-high guns at imaginary enemy fighters.

The Collings Foundations is requesting donations of $8 from adults and $4 for children under 12.

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