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GRACEFUL WINGS OF WWII VINTAGE AIRPLANES SHOWN IN BURBANK.


Byline: Donna Huffaker Daily News Staff Writer

Forty tons of history glided into the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport on Tuesday amid smiles and applause from a handful of men who used to call bomber planes their work space.

The World War II-era B-17 and B-24 combat aircraft - the only B-24 that still flies - flew in from Massachusetts as part of a 35-state tour presented by the Collings Foundation, which restores, exhibits and flies historical military airplanes.

Retired pilots and curious onlookers climbed through each of the planes. For $7, visitors could sit in the cockpit - the engine was still warm - and inch through the rest of the plane, complete with guns and an ocean of memories.

Murray ``Big Shorty'' Codman stood where the gunner used to stand and reminisced about how noisy it got inside the warplanes. The 75-year-old Marina del Rey Del Rey may refer to:
  • Del Rey, California, a census-designated place in Fresno County, California
  • Del Rey, Los Angeles, California, a small district in the west side of Los Angeles
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 resident and former Army Air Corps gunner and engineer joked that the earsplitting ear·split·ting  
adj.
Loud and shrill enough to hurt the ears. See Synonyms at loud.

Adj. 1. earsplitting - loud enough to cause (temporary) hearing loss
deafening, thunderous, thundery
 decibel decibel (dĕs`əbĕl', –bəl), abbr. dB, unit used to measure the loudness of sound. It is one tenth of a bel (named for A. G. Bell), but the larger unit is rarely used.  level in those days is why most of the retired airmen now have hearing aids Hearing Aids Definition

A hearing aid is a device that can amplify sound waves in order to help a deaf or hard-of-hearing person hear sounds more clearly.
.

On Codman's first mission to Berlin, his B-17 came back with only two of its four engines. The B-17 ``Nine-O-Nine'' on display in Burbank flooded Codman's mind with memories of dodging other bombers and watching some of them fall from the sky.

After 140 missions with 18 trips to Berlin, the ``Nine-O-Nine'' flew back to the states having never lost a crewman nor aborted a·bort  
v. a·bort·ed, a·bort·ing, a·borts

v.intr.
1. To give birth prematurely or before term; miscarry.

2. To cease growth before full development or maturation.

3.
 a mission, said Mike Walsh Mike Walsh is a common name that could refer to:
  • Mike Walsh (TV host), host of the Australian television program The Mike Walsh Show.
  • Mike Walsh (UP), executive for Union Pacific Railroad named Railroader of the Year for 1991 by Railway Age magazine.
, the pilot who flew the aircraft into Burbank.

A pilot with 3,000 hours of flying experience, Walsh said navigating the cumbersome aircraft can be a little tricky Little Tricky was a horse ridden by American Bruce Davidson in the sport of eventing.
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  • Foaled: 1991
  • Sex: Gelding
  • Color: Chestnut
  • Height: 16.
. The controls are so heavy that turning the wheel can be like a workout Workout

Informal repayment or loan forgiveness arrangement between a borrower and creditors.


workout

1. The process of a debtor's meeting a loan commitment by satisfying altered repayment terms.
 with free weights.

The plane burns 200 gallons of fuel an hour and four gallons of oil per hour, Walsh said. It costs $2,000 an hour to operate the plane, he added.

He doesn't get paid for the time he spends flying around the country, but that doesn't bother him, the retired electrician said.

``I'm flying a piece of history,'' he said.

The planes will be on display at the Mercury Aviation ramp, 10750 Sherman Way at Burbank Airport. Touring is $7 for adults and $3 for children. For information, (800) 916-4930.

VIEWING THE PLANES

Mercury Aviation ramp, 10750 Sherman Way at Burbank Airport. Touring is $7 for adults and $3 for children. For information, (800) 916-4930.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1) This B-24 - the only one that still flies - arrived Tuesday at Burbank Airport, on a tour presented by the Collings Foundation.

(2) This World War II-vintage B-17 aircraft also is on display

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

BOX: VIEWING THE PLANES (See text)
COPYRIGHT 1999 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1999, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:May 12, 1999
Words:450
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