Today through Monday, the Collings Foundation’s Wings of Freedom Tour is displaying vintage World War II bombers at the Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing.
Flying in are the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Nine O Nine" heavy bomber, the Consolidated B-24 Liberator "Witchcraft" heavy bomber, and the North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.
According to the foundation, a nonprofit enterprise dedicated to "living history" presentations, the B-17 is one of only nine in flying condition in the United States; the B-24J is the sole remaining example of its type flying in the world, and the B-25 is one of only a handful in flying condition.
The foundation bills the Wings of Freedom Tour as "a flying tribute to the flight crews who flew them, the ground crews who maintained them, the workers who built them, the soldiers, sailors and airmen they helped protect, and the citizens and families that share the freedom that they helped preserve."
The Wings of Freedom fly into the airport at 2 p.m. today and will be on display until they depart on Monday at noon. Ground tours and display take place from 2 to 5 p.m. today, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 9:30 a.m. to noon on Monday.
A $10 donation for adults and $5 donation for children under 12 is requested for access to up-close viewing and tours through the inside of the aircraft.
Visitors may also experience the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a 30-minute flight aboard these rare aircraft. Flight experiences are a tax-deductible donation. Flights on either the B-17 or B-24 are $425 per person. Flights on the B-25 are $400 for the front fuselage and $325 for the waist gun section of the plane.
The 30-minute flight experiences are scheduled before and after the ground tour times.
The backbone of the American war effort from 1942 to 1945, the B-17, B-24 and B-25 were famous for their ability to sustain damage and still accomplish their mission. Despite the risks of anti-aircraft fire, attacking enemy fighters and the harrowing environment of sub-zero temperatures, many B-17s, B-24s and B25s safely brought their crews home.
After the war, many of the bombers were scrapped for raw materials; very few were spared. The rarity of the B-17, B-24 and B-25 and their importance to the story of World War II is why the Collings Foundation continues to fly and display the aircraft nationwide.
The Trenton Mercer Airport is located at Ronson Aviation, the Scotch Road exit off Interstate 95 in Ewing.
For reservations and information on flight experiences, call 800-568-8924.
For more information, visit www.collingsfoundation.org.

