They're Here! And They're Huge. WWII Bombers Fly Into Ramona

At Ramona Airport on Wednesday afternoon, it didn't matter the age of the visitors or whether they believed in war. It didn't matter how much history they knew or which country they were from. The sheer size of the aircraft that flew over their heads and landed, props spinning, in front of them amazed the gathering of people from San Diego, Escondido, Temecula and Ramona.

How could planes that big stay in the sky?

And, wow, they are still flying after all these years.

"It was kinda like going back in time," said Olive Peirce Middle School student Rebecca Vaca, who was lucky enough to fly in the B-24 bomber "Witchcraft" from Palomar Airport in Carlsbad to Ramona.

You had the feeling that the size alone and that name would scare the daylights out of an enemy. The bombers were considered the backbone of the Allied effort in World War II.

The aircraft will be at Ramona Airport through Friday as part of the annual nationwide Wings of Freedom Tour provided by The Collings Foundation based in Stowe, MA.

Rebecca and fellow student Trinady Shelton are producing a video on the aircraft. Both girls enjoyed their flight.

"I will always remember it," said Trinady. "I think it's an honor to fly in one of these. They're so old."

Rebecca added, "It wasn't as loud as we thought it would be."

Veteran World War II pilot John Vroman of Escondido passengered into Ramona in the shiny P-51B Mustang. He said he flew the recon version of the P-38 known as the F4 and F5 in Kunming, China, from 1944-1945. At Ramona Airport, he chatted with fellow aircraft enthusiasts, and they took each other's photos in front of the plane.

The P-51B dropped down out of the sky so quickly and rather quietly compared to the massive and loud presence of the bombers whose wingspan seemed to take up both lanes of the runway. Their shadowing hulks were hard to take in, as the pilots waved down at visitors from so far above. When the bombers opened up, it seemed as if a never-ending supply of materials was brought out of them—tables, chairs and crates of supplies. Within minutes, a welcoming table was set up and visitors came forward to sign in for flights.

A flight in one of the planes costs a pretty penny but everyone who had purchased a ticket agreed that it was a "once-in-a-lifetime experience." Thirty minutes in the P-51B goes for $2,200 and an hour costs $3,200. Thirty minute flights in the bombers cost $425.

Among the people preparing for a flight was Todd Everett, 35, of San Diego. His father, Bart Everett, treated him to an hour in the P-51B Mustang.

"He'll never get to do this again," Bart said. The Everetts have enjoyed historical aircraft museums, parades and flights since Todd was about 3 years old, they said.

"Dad was a Navy recruiter so we went to a lot of airshows," Todd explained.

"Todd had a one-third scale A4 Skyhawk painted in Blue Angels colors," Bart said, "so he was in a lot of parades." Todd is a web developer in San Diego. About six years ago, he went up in a B-17 out of Gillespie Field, he said.

Ben Anderson of Temecula also waited for his chance to fly in the P-51B.

Patrick McGarry of Phoenix flew the Mustang into Ramona. He is with the tour for a couple of weeks, he said.

Jayson Owen of Kodiak, AK, piloted the B-24. He said it's the only one left in the world that is still flying.

When the Olive Peirce students interviewed him, Owen told them, "It's a huge privilege to be able to fly it."

They asked him what's it's like to fly.

"It's like flying a Mac truck," he smiled. "And it goes wherever it wants to go."

Owen said the oldest veteran to go in the B-24 was 100 years old.

"He had such a smile on his face that it was infectious," he said.

The airport took on a real World War II feel when a staff member of Chuck Hall Aviation drove up in a camouflage colored jeep, with a flag waving and a big smile.

The aircraft will be at Ramona Airport, by the air traffic control tower, through Friday at noon. Visitors can view them from 9 a .m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $6 for children. World War II veterans will be able to tour the aircraft at no cost and there will be discounts for school groups.

The airport is at 2926 Montecito Rd. For general information, call 760-788-3366.

To reserve a flight on the Wings of Freedom Tour aircraft, call 800-568-8924.

To read about the history of the aircraft, check out on Ramona Patch.