WIX Archives
Don Douglas Jr. To Welcome Returning WWII Bomber
Posted by bdk on Mon Apr 21, 2003 04:16:25 PM
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Don Douglas Jr., former president of the Douglas Aircraft Company, is expected to be on hand to welcome a Long Beach-built World War II B-17 Flying Fortress, along with a B-24 Liberator bomber, to the Long Beach Airport on Wednesday, April 23, at 2 p.m.
Douglas, who joined his father Donald W. Douglas in the aviation business in 1939, was the director of the Douglas testing division at the time this B-17 came off the Long Beach assembly line. He later went on to run the company from 1957 to 1967 and served on the Board of Directors of McDonnell Douglas until 1989. Douglas, now 85, lives in the Murrieta, Calif., area and retains an active interest in aviation.
The B-17 and the B-24 will be on static display at the Million Air hangar on Spring Street from Wednesday afternoon until Friday at 2 p.m. The Collings Foundation, which is sponsoring their national tour as a salute to WWII veterans, welcomes visitors to view the aircraft for free or climb aboard for a donation of $8 for adults and $4 for children.
Thirty-minute flights on either airplane are also possible for a $400 tax-deductible donation. The foundation uses the proceeds to underwrite aircraft maintenance and fuel costs. Each aircraft carries six to eight passengers, with opportunities to move around, shoot pictures and observe cockpit activity. Most flights occur before 9 a.m. or late in the afternoon. Those who wish to fly should call (978) 562-9182. Local information is available at (714) 431-3028.
The Boeing B-17 is one of some 3,000 manufactured in Long Beach by Douglas between 1942 and 1945. Altogether, the American aviation industry produced 12,731 B-17s, only seven of which are still airworthy. The B-24 is the last flyable Liberator left from nearly 20,000 built.
(April 21, 2003)