The Future of Warbird Flying
On October the 2nd The Collings Foundation B17 "909" was lost at Bradley International Airport, 7 people perished in the accident and 7 more were injured. My heart has been heavy with thoughts of the people lost and injured and their families and friends. This accident has brought into stark relief the reality of operating 70 plus year old airplanes in today's world. It made me sit down and come to terms with the incident with Annie and how fortunate we are that things turned out okay. Much like the accident with 909 we had a very experienced crew on board and they did what we all train for and hope never happens to us, and thank the heavens that no one was hurt aside from Annie. She did an excellent job keeping her occupants safe.
I have spent a great deal of time over the last week thinking about whether or not we should continue to fly these planes or if we should park them before they are all lost or more lives are lost. This very same discussion is occurring right now on the news and on social media. I see a lot of information being shared that isn't accurate and a lot of folks attempting to set the record straight. The reality is, accidents happen, whether the plane is brand new and full of safety features like a CAP system on a Cirrus, or 70 plus years old. The Boeing 737 Max is a good example of a new plane with true safety issues. I can vouch for the fact that antique and vintage airplanes are not only maintained with the same required FAA inspections that any other airplane is, but they are also looked after by trained people that are highly passionate about them and do everything they can to make sure that they are in perfect working order. None of us want to lose the airplane or anyone on board. In the case of Annie there is something like 20-25 flying examples left in the world, I take it as my indispensable duty to keep Annie safe and to keep sharing her with everyone I can. This is a common theme among all of the warbird community, and I know for a fact that The Collings Foundation shares the same sentiments.
Annie is a part of our family, we all talk to her as if she was a living, breathing human being. It sounds crazy, but this attachment to a flying machine is known to many, and during the time of the war, pilots showed this by naming their aircraft and adorning them with nose art, they celebrated the plane for bringing them home safely and mourned the loss of a machine they loved. I am reminded of the happiness and joy that seeing 909 chugging away over my house on short final into Moffett field had on me, or how the sight and sound of a P-51 Mustang has always given me chills and stood the hair on my neck up. I've had a lifelong obsession with these airplanes and it wouldn't be the same without being able to see them in action. I am pretty sure that the day we see Annie return to the sky will bring tears to my eyes, such is the relationship that we have.
To those who perished on 909, Blue Skies and Tailwinds from the Valiant Effort Team.
