Commemorative Air Force Announces B-24 Diamond Lil East Coast Tour
Buffalo, NY (PRWEB) June 02, 2014 -- Diamond Lil, the oldest B-24 Liberator in the world, is headed east this June for a month long tour. The Consolidated B-24A Liberator operated by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will appear at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II Weekend in Reading, Pennsylvania for the first time in many years before moving on to Buffalo, New York then Hamilton, Ontario to attend the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s 2014 Hamilton Night Airshow. The aircraft will also make several tour stops in Ohio including an appearance at the Dayton Vectren Airshow.
Diamond Lil is the oldest of over 18,000 Liberators produced by the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation during World War II and is one of only two in the world still flying. B-24s served in every theater of the war with the U.S. Army Air Force, U.S. Navy (as PB4Ys), the Royal Air Force, and numerous other nations following the conclusion of World War II.
While on tour, Diamond Lil will be available for guided tours (for a donation) and the public is invited to purchase Living History Flight Experiences aboard the aircraft. Rides, which sell for $395 each, can be booked online in advance at http://www.AirPowerTour.org. Information about each tour stop can also be found at that website.
The tour schedule:
June 6-8 Reading, PA (Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s WWII Weekend)
June 9-11 Buffalo, NY (Prior Aviation, Buffalo Niagara International Airport)
June 12-15 Hamilton, Ontario (Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum)*
June 18-22 Akron, OH (Akron Fulton International Airport)
June 23-25 Findlay, OH (Findlay Airport)
June 26-29 Dayton, OH (Vectren Dayton Air Show)*
*No living history flight experiences available at these stops.
About the CAF’s B-24 Liberator Diamond Lil:
Diamond Lil, built in 1941, was the 25th B-24 produced by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation. It is the oldest remaining B-24. Out of the over 18,000 produced, this airplane is one of only two still flying today. The CAF purchased this B-24A in 1967 and she has performed majestically before thousands of people for over 40 years. Originally configured as Diamond Lil, a transport aircraft, with markings of the 98th Bomb Group, she underwent a major restoration in 2006 with the intent of returning her back to the original bomber configuration and renamed Ol’ 927. In the winter of 2011-2012 the Squadron voted to return the name Diamond Lil to the aircraft with newly updated nose art. The airplane is maintained and operated by the volunteers of the Commemorative Air Force’s B-29/B-24 Squadron currently based at the Vintage Flying Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.
About the Commemorative Air Force
Collecting, restoring and flying vintage historical aircraft for more than half a century, the CAF ranks as one of the largest private air forces in the world. The CAF is dedicated to Honoring
American Military Aviation through flight, exhibition and remembrance. A non-profit educational association, the CAF has approximately 9,000 members and a fleet of 156 airplanes distributed throughout the country to 70 units located in 26 states for care and operation. For more information, visit http://www.commemorativeairforce.org.
Amy Lauria, Commemorative Air Force, http://www.commemorativeairforce.org, +1 (651) 373-1185, [email protected]
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