Freedom Warrior is "Liberated"

Today was one of the best days of my life! I got to fly in this B-24 "Liberator" with my son Jayson. This flight was a dream come true for an old US History buff like me. I have been waiting almost five years for this flight and it was worth every minute of the wait.

For Christmas 2004, using "pre-Heidi" money, Jayson bought me a certificate for a flight through The Collings Foundation. I postponed the flight waiting for a time when Jayson could come to Portland or I could go to Provo so he could watch. We were not able to make it work and this year the planes were in Portland during Heidi and Jayson's anniversary, so the plans were dashed again.

However, a few days ago, Jayson called me and said the Foundation was going to bring the planes to Provo on the 29th and 30th, so we packed our bags and drove down yesterday.

The long wait had an added benefit in that a B-24 was added to the fleet in addition to the B-17. Don't get me wrong, I would love to fly on the B-17 (and I will someday), but there are 13 of them still flying and this B-24 is the only one of its kind still flying... the choice was easy!

When we arrived, the plane was being serviced by the pilot and the co-pilot. They were replacing a turbo on the inboard starboard engine. This made me a little nervous when I thought about flying right after a fresh repair...

While we waited, we toured the planes, entering the B-24 through a hatch in the tail...

Once inside, it was a cozy space... this is looking toward the front of the plane at the waist gunner positions, the belly gunners turret, and the bomb bay access hatch...

This is the view out the machine gunner's window on the starboard side...

This is looking toward the rear of the plane at the tail gunners position...

I think my grandaughter Mae is the only one small enough to fit into the belly gunner's turret... I don't think this was a very fun assignment!

Deb and Joy peek out of the port side waist gunner's position...

It was getting close to flight time and they were still working on the engine...

It was about this time that I learned that I would not be flying alone! Heidi bought Jayson a certificate to fly... I was thrilled! What an awesome surprise. It bumped us to the second flight which pleased me... this would give the repaired engine a good break-in before we flew!

While we waited, Mae checked out some of the other static displays. She got to sit in this stunt bi-plane and pose for papa...

Then she and her aunt Joy posed in front of this beautiful P-51 Mustang... three pretty girls!

As it turned out, due to the ongoing repairs to the B-24, the B-17G was first to fly tonight...

It had a beautiful paint scheme reflecting an exact historical copy of one of our World War II warbirds...

Though I have seen another B-17 fly before, up close and personal, it is still a thrill to watch and listen to the engine rollover and light up!

It was a thrill to watch her taxi out...

I love this shot of the sun glistening off her wing and fuselage against the dark clouds that were rolling in over Lake Utah.

It was awesome as her wheels left the runway and she was airborne... I will never get tired of watching these planes fly!

Our plane was just about ready to fly, so we snapped a couple of quick shots in front of the "Liberator"... first Jayson...

Then me... Do we look excited?

This is a look at her nose... she has had quite a history with 14 confirmed kills in the European Theater during World War II flying for the RAF before she was aquired by the US.

Mae is enjoying all of the excitement. It is amazing, all of the things she has witnessed in her young life!

Before the first flight, the plane was taxied out to the end of the airfield to run the engines up and test the function of the turbine repair...

While she was out there, the B-17 returned from her second flight... Now this is not something you see every day!

Grandma, Joy, and Mae got a front row seat for the final parking of the B-17... the wing wound up right over their heads!

Through a twist in fate, we were given a choice of flying on the first or second flight of the B-24. Jayson talked me into the first because he had some friends that were flying on the first as well as the Mayor of Provo. I was still a little nervous because of the repair... When we were boarding the plane, I was sent to the front (I actually crawled onto the front flight deck from under the belly of the plane through the open bomb bay doors), and Jayson was sent to the rear. This was not a good situation because we wanted to fly together and though we could move around in the plane after we were airborne, neither one of us little guys could have squeezed through the bomb bay due to the narrowness of the catwalk supports.

I was seated in the Navigator's chair right behind the co-pilot and Jayson came running forward telling me to get off the plane and we would take the second flight. Instead, Jayson's friend Michelle, who was already buckled in up front, volunteered to go to the rear of the plane where some other members of her family were and let Jayson ride up front with me! It worked out perfect!

We were able to stand in the cockpit doorway throughout the flight and get some great shots of the Utah scenery and the pilots flying the plane... It doesn't get any better than this!

It was thrillingly loud as the engines roared up to full throttle as we began the lumbering trip up the runway... the vibrations were incredible as we rolled along the tarmack...

Up we go! Both pilots man the controls during throttle up...

A view out the port side window as we fly low over the Utah countryside...

Jayson takes in the once in a lifetime view...

A starboard side view...

Off in the distance is the Mt. Timpanogos Temple out the pilots window...

What an awesome view...

The starboard engines... they are actually running... I was shooting a very fast shutter speed and it froze the props motion.

This is a shot of the forward positition where the bombadier would operate the Nordin bomb sight. You could also get to the nose gunner's position if you weight about 125 pounds ringing wet... it was accessed by crawling through the space under our position in the cockpit!

We are about to touch down after a flight up the Wasatch Valley and back over Lake Utah... My son Ryan called to tell me that he had seen the plane fly over his house at the north end of the lake in Lehi... unfortunately, he was not able to get to the airport from work in time to see us take off and return...

The navigator opened the bomb bay doors as we taxied to the point where we deplaned and they picked up their second load of passengers... in this shot you can see the catwalk through the bomb bay and why we could not have moved to the rear of the plane during the flight... It was not the destiny of us Edwards boys to be flight crew members on one of these birds... we will have to leave that to the Rudolph boys!

This is a shot of the B-24 as she leaves for her second flight of the evening...

Just before rotation...

And wheels up! This was a fantastic experience... one that I will not forget! Thank you Jayson for giving me one of my most amazing memories... an opportunity to step back over sixty years in time and honor the brave warriors that flew these beautiful machines... it was a sacred experience!

As a closing note, when we deplaned, an elderly woman exited the rear of the plane in tears. When we asked her what was wrong, she told us that her husband ahd proposed to her prior to going off to war in World War II. They did not marry before he left. While gone, he flew over 120 successful missions in a B-24.

When he returned, they were married and lived together all these years until he passed away just one month ago... she flew this mission for him!

Suddenly, we were all in tears...

Thank you sir for your service to our country... home of the free because of the brave!