Wings of Freedom

WWII Aircraft Come to Santa Barbara

Wed May 09, 2012 | 06:00am
Bottom to top: B-24, B-17, B-25, and P-51 in formation.

In May 1943, a U.S. B-24 bomber went down in the Pacific, killing eight of the 11 soldiers onboard. One of the three survivors was former Olympian Louis Zamperini, whose life — including a harrowing 47 days adrift at sea — was documented in the 2010 bestselling book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. Zamperini was a bombardier on many missions during the war, always flying in a B-24. Of the 18,482 B-24s built between 1941 and 1945, only 17 still exist. Santa Barbarans can tour the inside of the B-24 Liberator Witchcraft when it comes to town as part of the Wings of Freedom Tour. The B-17 Flying Fortress Nine-O-Nine and a P-51 Mustang will also be on hand for viewing. The Wings of Freedom Tour takes place Monday, May 14-Wednesday, May 16, at the S.B. Municipal Airport. Tickets are $12 (adults), $6 (kids under 12). For more info, call (800) 568-8924.

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