Collings Foundation
Collings Foundation's B-24J, TP-51C and B-17G
Collings Foundation is located in Massachusetts
Collings Foundation
Location within Massachusetts
Established1979 (1979)
LocationStow, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates42°24′12″N 71°30′28″W / 42.403293°N 71.5078°W / 42.403293; -71.5078
Type
FounderBob Collings
CEORob Collings
Websitewww.collingsfoundation.org

The Collings Foundation is a private non-profit educational foundation located in Stow, Massachusetts, with a mission dedicated to the preservation and public display of transportation-related history, namely automobile and aviation history.[1] The Collings Foundation is headquartered at a small private airfield in Stow that includes a small museum that opens for special events and pre-scheduled tour groups.

The American Heritage Museum, a collection of military vehicles, is located on the grounds of the foundation. The organization also has a satellite operations base at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, primarily housing its Korean War and Vietnam War jet aircraft and helicopter collection.

The Collings Foundation operated two touring collections of historic military aircraft: The Wings of Freedom Tour and The Vietnam Memorial Flight. The Wings of Freedom tour ended in 2023 after the organization grounded their WWII aircraft.[2]

The Collings Foundation sold vintage warbird rides to the general public through a flight exemption until permission for such flights was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration following the fatal 2019 crash of the foundation's B-17G.[3]

History

The organization was founded in 1979 by Robert F. Collings and Caroline Collings. As of April 2020, Caroline Collings continues to serve as financial director, while son Rob Collings is the CEO and chief pilot of the foundation.[4]

On July 4, 2013, the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation founded by Jacques Littlefield and located in Portola Valley, California, donated their entire collection of military vehicles to the Collings Foundation. A year later, the Collings Foundation auctioned off 120 of the vehicles to fund creation of a new museum at their headquarters.[5] The remaining vehicles are now the centerpiece of the American Heritage Museum in Stow, Massachusetts.

In 2015, the Stow Planning Board questioned the educational merit of the proposed museum. The educational purpose was needed in order to allow the planned 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) museum to be built on land that was zoned for residential use.[6][7] The Planning Board rejected the foundation's application in August 2015[8] but a settlement was eventually reached in July 2017 and construction of the museum was completed in 2018. The museum held a "preview" opening in October 2018 and fully opened in May 2019.[9][10]

The organization's B-17G Flying Fortress crashed in October, 2019, killing seven of the thirteen people on board. In March 2020, the organization's permission to carry passengers was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), citing “notable maintenance discrepancies” and a failure to maintain a “a culture of safety” leading up to the crash.[3]

In 2023, it traded a Stearman PT-17 to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in exchange for a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.[11][12] The following month, an original Nieuport 28 owned by the foundation was damaged in an accident.[13] Later that year, it announced it would be ending its Wings of Freedom tour and grounding its aircraft.[2]

Collection

Aircraft collection

Me 262B "White 1"
Collings Foundation's B-24J "Witchcraft"
Collings Foundation's TP-51C "Betty Jane"
Collings Foundation's TF-51D "Toulouse Nuts"

Airworthy aircraft

Static aircraft

Aircraft under restoration

Automobile collection

Brass era

Roaring 20s

Classic era

Celebrity cars

Indianapolis 500 cars

Trevis/Offy, 1961

Other race cars

Sprint cars: 1920s–WWII

Thomas Special, 1936
Studebaker powered midget car, 1946

Sprint cars: post WWII-1950s

Midget racers: 1930s-1950s

Military vehicles

Source:[62]

Trucks and farm vehicles

References

  1. ^ Collings Foundation (n.d.). "Collings Foundation Background". Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  2. ^ a b Godlewski, Meg (30 November 2023). "Collings Foundation Grounds Air Tour for WWII Aircraft". Flying. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Owens, David (March 25, 2020). "FAA says owner of World War II bomber that crashed at Bradley, killing seven, did not take safety seriously and can no longer carry passengers". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved March 26, 2020. The permission Collings operated under required it to comply with specific conditions, and the FAA found that it "was not fulfilling several requirements" or satisfying its policy of maintaining "a culture of safety."
  4. ^ "Staff". The Collings Foundation. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. ^ "Silicon Valley tank collection heading east to The Collings Foundation in Stow". The Springfield Republican. AP. 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  6. ^ Needle, Ann (29 July 2015). "Planning Board Wrestles with Collings Museum Application ..." The Stow Independent. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  7. ^ Strohl, Daniel (5 August 2015). "Plans for museum to house the ex-Littlefield military vehicle collection stalled". Hemmings. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  8. ^ Sweeney, Emily (31 August 2015). "Proposed military museum is voted down in Stow". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  9. ^ "Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum". 23 January 2019.
  10. ^ Jonathan Phelps (2 May 2019). "American Heritage Museum celebrates grand opening". Worcester Telegram. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  11. ^ Riley, Lisa M. (8 August 2023). "National Museum of the USAF welcomes PT-17 to its collection". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  12. ^ "NMUSAF Museum P-47D Thunderbolt Moves to The Collings Foundation". Vintage Aviation News. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  13. ^ Cotter, Sean (17 September 2023). "World War I-era plane crashes during museum event in Stow". Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Bell UH-1E Iroquois". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  15. ^ "1909 Bleriot Type XI (Replica)". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Boeing PT-17 Stearman". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Boeing PT-17 Tuskegee Stearman". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  18. ^ "Cessna UC-78 Bobcat". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Consolidated B-24J Liberator". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  20. ^ "1909 Curtiss Pusher". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  21. ^ "1910 Curtiss Pusher". Century Aviation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  22. ^ "1914 Curtiss Model F Flying Boat". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  23. ^ "1914 Curtiss Model F Flying Boat". Century Aviation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  24. ^ "Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  25. ^ "Curtiss TP-40N Warhawk". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  26. ^ "TP-40N 'Warhawk'". American Aero Services. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  27. ^ "Douglas A-1E Skyraider". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  28. ^ "McDonnell TA-4J Skyhawk". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  29. ^ "Grumman FM-2 Wildcat". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  30. ^ "Grumman TBM Avenger". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  31. ^ "Grumman F6F-3N Hellcat". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  32. ^ "Lockheed P-38 Lightning". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  34. ^ "F-4D Phantom". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  35. ^ "Messerschmitt Me 262". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  36. ^ "Fieseler Fi-156 Storch". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Fiesler-Morane-Saulnier MS-500 Criquet, c/n 4621, c/r N156FC". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  38. ^ "North American A-36". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  39. ^ "North American AT-6F Texan". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  40. ^ "North American B-25 Mitchell". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  41. ^ "North American F-100F Super Sabre". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  42. ^ "North American TF-51D Mustang". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  43. ^ "North American TP-51C Mustang". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  44. ^ "Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  45. ^ "Vought F4U-5NL Corsair". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  46. ^ "Waco UPF-7". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  47. ^ "Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  48. ^ "Messerschmitt Me 109". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  49. ^ "1911 Wright Vin Fiz (Replica)". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  50. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Boeing SB-17G Fortress, s/n 44-83785 USAF, c/n 32426, c/r N207EV". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  51. ^ "Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  52. ^ "Douglas A-26 Invader". Collings Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  53. ^ "Fairchild PT-19 "Tuskegee Airmen"". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  54. ^ "Focke Wulf Fw 190 F-8". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  55. ^ "FW-190 "White One"". American Aero Services. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  56. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Focke Wulf Fw-190D-9, c/n 210096, c/r N190CF". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  57. ^ "Grumman G-21 Goose". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  58. ^ "Grumman JRF-2 'Goose'". American Aero Services. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  59. ^ "Nieuport 28". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  60. ^ "L-4 Grasshopper". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  61. ^ Hogan, Jackson (31 March 2019). "La Pine man restoring plane flown by 'Bazooka Charlie' in World War II". The Bulletin. Retrieved 7 February 2022. In 1944, U.S. Army pilot and artillery spotter [Major] Charles Carpenter was in France, fighting in the 4th Armored Division of Gen. George S. Patton's 3rd Army, when he had a crazy idea...Carpenter strapped three bazookas under each wing of his 1944 Piper L-4H, a frail reconnaissance plane not typically used for combat, flew over the German army and blasted multiple Panzer tanks and armored cars north of the town of Nancy. It earned him the nickname "Bazooka Charlie."...75 years later, the Piper L-4H — nicknamed "Rosie the Rocketer" — has found its way to a rural garage near La Pine, where it's being restored by a retired engineer.
  62. ^ "Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum Collection". 23 January 2019.

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