Most here are likely aware of the Collings Foundation B-17 Nine-0-Nine crash and the tragic fatalities and injuries that resulted from it.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...0601935/m/9210016164

As I mentioned in that thread, one ironic tragedy of these crashes involving multiple fatalities is that the response is similar to those involving mass killings with guns...namely proposed legislation or more restrictive government agency rules...even before the investigation is complete and before all the facts are known.

As was pointed out in the other thread, the regulations these vintage aircraft and War Birds operate under require more frequent inspections when used for commercial operations and PAX ride hopping. I am confident that whatever the causes(s) of the B-17 crash, they will be determined. IF there were any lapses in maintenance or record keeping, IF there were any deficiencies in training or skill, they will be addressed. All the facts surrounding the tragedy will eventually be determined.

Other than knowing one of the Collings Foundation pilots I have no connection to it. However I was involved in the air show business and PAX ride hopping for many years. I still have friends and acquaintances in the business.

I've flown and loaded countless passengers into vintage airplanes and War Birds. Adults, old timers, pretty girls, ugly guys, heavy men and women...and children, lots and lots of children. Boys and girls so short that, after their Dad or Mom was seated to fly with them we had to put a small cushion on the seat just so that they could barely see over the cockpit combing...the one thing in common with these passengers...the smiles. Some were bigger than others, but everyone had a smile. I've seen little kids get their first airplane ride in an old airplane, and later grow up to be pilots. I've seen old timers smile from ear to ear and recount their war experiences or first flight when they were children. The only time passengers weren't smiling were the times that we had to shut down ride hopping because it was getting too dark to fly or weather was moving in and we had to refund their ticket.

One of our pilots was involved with the Boy Scouts and we would have an annual Scout camping week, put the Scouts to work, teach classes on aviation, give the Scouts rides, and at the end of the week the Scouts could earn their Aviation Merit Badge.

On a couple occasions we had private companies hire our facilities to hold a company picnic or meeting, followed by rides for their employees...and on one occasion we were even hired to put on an entire private airshow for company employees.

On one occasion we had a group that all wanted rides, including a paraplegic in a wheel chair. We were more than happy to fly him and 4 of us spent more than 20 minutes trying to carefully lift him into the plane without injuring him or damaging the plane, but ultimately we had to abandon the attempt. He was more than understanding but the disappointment I saw in his face broke my heart.

There is no doubt that flying is a business and the costs vs. revenue will always be a consideration in whether a pilot or aircraft owner can afford to fly the airplane...but revenue generation isn't the only consideration. Often, if we just break even over a single season we consider that a victory because it means we can afford to continue to fly. We don't just offer rides, we offer experiences. People remember these flights, they have an emotional connection to them.

Properly maintained and operated by skilled experienced pilots and crew, these vintage planes and War Birds are every bit as safe as other aircraft. I truly respect those who disagree with me on this, but I stand squarely in support of allowing these vintage planes and War Birds to continue to fly passengers.

The Collings Foundation, through War Bird News Digest, recently put out a statement requesting public input be lodged on an FAA website specific to this issue. At the moment the public comments are specific to the Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE) FAA exemption, first granted in 1997, that allows the Collings Foundation to use specified aircraft for PAX ride hopping. The foundations LFHE exemption is due for renewal next year and the concern is that it may be altered significantly or denied, due to either new legislation or interpretation, that might otherwise prevent the foundation from operating PAX ride hopping and impacting their ability to continue to operate.

Although the current focus is on the Collings Foundation exemption, pilots involved in other ventures are concerned about the impact new legislation and government agency rules may have on their own ability to use their vintage aircraft and War Birds to generate the needed revenue to continue to operate.

If you agree with me that you would like to see these old airplanes and War Birds continue to be able to fly passengers on rides to generate the revenue they need to restore, maintain, and operate them, then I would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to lodge your public comments at the FAA website linked below.

Collings Foundation – An Important Message

October 11, 2019

There is nothing more important to our aviation-minded community at present than the lives of those affected by the tragedy in Windsor Locks, Connecticut last week, nor our fervent wish for the speedy and complete recovery of those still recuperating.

However, in the aftermath of all that’s happened, it has also been hard to avoid the persistent concern that we may be on the brink of seeing the dramatic curtailment – or even the end – of the Living History Flight Experience (LHFE) program which permits us to fly aboard vintage military aeroplanes. For many such aircraft, and indeed the museums that own them, this is their sole, viable economic means for continued operation.

While safety must always be paramount – and there will no doubt be valuable lessons we can learn from the NTSB investigation into the loss of 909 – it is also important to remember their excellent safety record thus far, especially in comparison to other modes of transport. These Flight Experiences have provided our community with something of great value, in both tangible and intangible ways, that may not be immediately recognizable to those on the outside. From a financial perspective, these aircraft support a significant industry across the country which has created thousands of jobs and contributions to the national economy. But more importantly, these aircraft bring us together – from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds – in the joyful celebration of our collective heritage.

As such, we must all do our part to inform those people making decisions concerning LHFE about the important roles the program plays in our lives, and why it should – why it must – continue.

We must remind everyone of the emotional power that these aircraft still maintain; that visceral connection between past and present – forging bonds between multiple generations in ways that are so much harder by most other means. Each of us who served, or has a veteran in the family, and each of us who has flown aboard one of these aircraft, or seen them fly, understands this bond. We learn about our past – and ourselves – by seeing and flying aboard such aircraft. We each have a personal story about what those experiences have meant to us…

Now is the time to tell them…

The Collings Foundation released a statement yesterday, which could help us in this process. Please read their words, and the links they provide below, to learn how you too can tell your personal story to those whom need to hear from you. That being said, please remember the importance of civil discourse – invective and vitriol will always lose the argument!

Richard Mallory Allnutt – Editor WarbirdsNews.com


TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Dear supporters,

Please join the Collings Foundation in our thoughts and prayers with those who were on the tragic flight of the B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine-O-Nine” on Wednesday, October 2nd. We will be forever grateful to the heroic efforts of the first responders at Bradley International Airport and the assistance of all local agencies in the days after the crash.

The Collings Foundation team has been and remains fully cooperative with officials to determine the cause of the crash and we will comment further when facts and details become available. We have suspended the Wings of Freedom Tour for the remainder of the 2019 season and the aircraft have returned to our winter maintenance base in Florida.

The mission of the Collings Foundation remains steadfast in the goal of making history come alive as we have for over 30 years. Since 1989, the Wings of Freedom Tour has touched the lives of millions, as we have made visits to over 3600 communities in that time. Tens of thousands have flown aboard our Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE) on the B-17, B-24, B-25, and A-1E and flight training on the TP-51C, TF-51D, and TP-40N. In the past week we have received many stories on how powerful and life-changing the tour has been for families and as we move forward, and we expect there are thousands more who have been touched by the Wings of Freedom Tour.

In the coming months, federal agencies will be reviewing the LHFE program for not only our organization, but many other organizations nationwide who continue to fly vintage aircraft as a part of their educational mission. As these reviews take place, we feel it is important for the voices of those impacted by the Wings of Freedom Tour over the years to be heard. We need to let federal agencies know that the LHFE program is important to you and other American citizens as an educational tool.

Please take a moment to add your comments to the current docket regarding the renewal of the Collings Foundation LHFE program with the FAA at the Federal Register. You may do so online at the following link:

https://www.regulations.gov/do...=FAA-2001-11089-0096

As you write your comment, please review the tips for submitting effective comments from

https://www.regulations.gov/do...fective_Comments.pdf

Thank you for your support of our living history mission.

Best regards,
Rob Collings
Executive Director

Proper maintenance is the moral/legal responsibility of the owner/operator period. The FAA at the operator level is useless in preventing
accidents. Only after an accident do they look for deficiencies ( lack of proper Maintenance ) or Pilot qualification
Flying experimental certified war birds be it a B17, P51 or F-104 is ultimately the responsibility of the owner, the FAA is only
there to check the paper work. RIP to ALL involved