Collings Foundation

Last updated
Collings Foundation
Collings Foundation logo.jpg
B-24 ariving 4-23-10 008 (wide) B24-P51-B17.jpg
Collings Foundation's B-24J, TP-51C and B-17G
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Massachusetts
Established1979 (1979)
Location Stow, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates 42°24′12″N71°30′28″W / 42.403293°N 71.5078°W / 42.403293; -71.5078
Type
FounderBob Collings
CEORob Collings
Website www.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.

Contents

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sold vintage warbird rides to the general public through a flight exemption until permission for such flights was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration following the fatal 2019 crash of the foundation's B-17G.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" ME-262 B-1c.jpg
Me 262B "White 1"
Collings Foundation's B-24J "Witchcraft" Collings 2011 003 a zoom.jpg
Collings Foundation's B-24J "Witchcraft"
Collings Foundation's TP-51C "Betty Jane" P51- Betty Jane.jpg
Collings Foundation's TP-51C "Betty Jane"
Collings Foundation's TF-51D "Toulouse Nuts" Collings Foundation's TF-51D.jpg
Collings Foundation's TF-51D "Toulouse Nuts"

Airworthy aircraft

Static aircraft

Aircraft under restoration

Automobile collection

Brass era

  • 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash
  • 1904 Franklin Type A Roadster
  • 1906 Pope Waverly Electric Carriage, original un-restored
  • 1906 Stanley Steamer Touring Car (20 hp)
  • 1908 Cadillac Open Roadster Runabout
  • 1913 Ford Model T Touring Car
  • 1913 Mercer Speedster Raceabout (replica)
  • 1914 Stutz Bearcat
  • 1915 Buick Touring Car
  • 1916 Chalmers Model 120 Sedan
  • 1916 Chevrolet Baby Grand Touring
  • 1916 Oldsmobile Model 44 Touring Car
  • 1919 Willys-Sterns Knight Touring Car

Roaring 20s

  • 1921 Marmon Model 34 Speedster
  • 1924 Ford Model T
  • 1926 Chevrolet Woody Depot Hack

Classic era

  • 1927 Rolls-Royce Springfield Phantom 1 Phaeton
  • 1928 Packard Model 533 Sedan
  • 1928 Chrysler Model 72 Roadster
  • 1928 Packard Phaeton
  • 1928 Pierce Arrow Series 81 Limousine
  • 1929 LaSalle Model 2H
  • 1929 Pontiac Model F Cabriolet
  • 1930 Cord Model L29 Convertible Coupe
  • 1931 Studebaker President
  • 1932 Duesenberg SJ Dual-Cowl Phaeton
  • 1935 Packard Model 1208, Convertible Sedan
  • 1936 Auburn Boat-Tail Speedster
  • 1937 Cord Model 812 Phaeton

Celebrity cars

  • 1940 Cadillac Limousine V-16, owned by Al Capone, original un-restored

Indianapolis 500 cars

Trevis/Offy, 1961 Trevis-Offy Indy car, 1961 - Collings Foundation - Massachusetts - DSC07063.jpg
Trevis/Offy, 1961
  • 1961 Trevis/Offy – Trevis team car, sister car to the 1961 winner. Ran Indy 1961–1964.
  • 1972 Gurney Eagle/Turbo Offy – Leader card Spl. Team car. Ran Indy 1972–1974.
  • 1979 Porsche Indy – The factory race car that smashed all track records before being banned.
  • 1980 Penske PC-9/Cosworth DFX – Mario Andretti's Michigan 500 winner. Ran Indy.
  • 1980, Qualified second with Mario Andretti. Also driven to victory by Rick Mears at the Copa Mexico 125.
  • 1987 March/Buick – Rich Vogler's best Indy effort
  • 1995 Lola/Ford XB – Michael Andretti's race winning car

Other race cars

  • 1996 Rilley & Scott MkIII/Ford winner of the 1997 Rolex 24 hours of Daytona
  • 1990 Nissan 300ZX- Factory team car winner of the 24 hours of Daytona, 12 hours of Sebring and the Drivers and constructors championship
  • 1993 Porsche RS America- Rolex 24 and Sebring 12 hour veteran, the first team car of Champion Porsche

Sprint cars: 1920s–WWII

Thomas Special, 1936 Thomas Special sprint car, 1936 - Collings Foundation - Massachusetts - DSC07066.jpg
Thomas Special, 1936
Studebaker powered midget car, 1946 Studebaker powered midget car, 1946 - Collings Foundation - Massachusetts - DSC07081.jpg
Studebaker powered midget car, 1946
  • 1932 Crager-Ford
  • 1932 Gemsa Ford
  • 1936 Thomas Spl.
  • 1937 Offy 270 ci.
  • 1937 Rutherford – winner of over 300 races!
  • 1937 Ranger-Aircraft Engine
  • Drayer-Ford
  • Riley Four Port

Sprint cars: post WWII-1950s

  • 1950 Ford/Offy

Midget racers: 1930s-1950s

  • 1936 Sowers- a rare Offy derivative
  • Caruso-Offy 110 ci. supercharged by Maserati
  • Studebaker
  • Elto Outboard
  • Indian
  • (3) Ford V-8/60

Military vehicles

Source: [63]

Trucks and farm vehicles

  • 1909 Peerless Steam Tractor
  • 1915 Walker Electric Truck
  • 1920s International Harvester
  • 1931 Diamond T Truck
  • 1931 Chevrolet Model C Cab-Truck

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum</span> Aerospace museum in McMinnville, Oregon, USA

The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit, aviation museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Its exhibits include the Hughes H-4 Hercules and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and spacecraft. The museum complex includes four main buildings: the original aviation exhibit hall, a large screen digital theater, a second exhibit hall focused on space technology, and a water park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum</span> Aviation museum in Everett, Washington

The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum is a U.S.A. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the display and preservation of rare military aircraft, tanks and other military equipment. The museum reopened on the Memorial Day Weekend 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commemorative Air Force</span> Nonprofit organization for preserving aircraft

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright R-1820 Cyclone</span> R-9 piston aircraft engine family

The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Union as the Shvetsov M-25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp</span> Aircraft engine family by Pratt & Whitney

The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, and the first of the famed Wasp series. It was a single-row, nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial design, and displaced 1,344 cubic inches (22 L); bore and stroke were both 5.75 in (146 mm). A total of 34,966 engines were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Planes of Fame Air Museum</span> Aviation museum in Arizona and California

Planes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum in Chino, California, The museum has many flying and static aircraft, along with several rare examples under restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Air & Space Museum</span> Aerospace museum in California, US

San Diego Air & Space Museum is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California, United States. The museum is located in Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building, which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. SDASM was established by articles of incorporation on October 12, 1961, and opened to the public on February 15, 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Naval Aviation Museum</span> Military and aerospace museum in Pensacola, FL, USA

The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monogram (company)</span> Toy model manufacturer

Monogram is an American brand and former manufacturing company of scale plastic models of cars, aircraft, spacecraft, ships, and military vehicles since the early 1950s. The company was formed by two former employees of Comet Kits, Jack Besser and Bob Reder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Air Museum</span> Military aviation museum in California

Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located in Atwater, California, United States adjacent to Castle Airport, a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base which was closed in 1995, after the end of the Cold War. It is one of the largest aerospace museums displaying vintage aircraft in the western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yanks Air Museum</span> Aviation museum in Chino, California

The Yanks Air Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and museum dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts in order to show the evolution of American aviation, located at Chino Airport in Chino, California.

The Air Zoo, founded as the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, is an aviation museum and indoor amusement park next to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport in Portage, Michigan. The Air Zoo holds many historical and rare aircraft, including the world's fastest air-breathing aircraft, the SR-71B Blackbird. Many of its antique planes are airworthy. Among its other attractions are a 180-degree theater that projects a 2-D film simulation of a B-17 bombing mission during World War II; and various amusement rides, including flight simulators of a rocket trip to Mars, a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet, a stunt biplane, a hot air balloon, a veteran U.S. Navy F-14A Tomcat that served aboard USS America, and more. Air Zoo is a Smithsonian Affiliate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum</span> Aviation museum in Pueblo, Colorado

The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is a non-profit aviation museum located in Southern Colorado. It was founded in the mid-1970s by former Pueblo City Manager Fred Weisbrod. The museum is made up of two hangars that were built in 2005 and 2011. The hangars house several of the museum's aircraft along with thousands of artifacts dating from World War I to modern day. PWAM is home to the International B-24 Memorial Museum and the Southern Colorado Space Museum and Learning Center. There are several historic military vehicles in the museum's collection, many of which are still in operational condition. The museum is located six miles east of Pueblo, Colorado on US Highway 50 at the Pueblo Memorial Airport, occupying space on what was the Pueblo Army Air Base during World War II. It is managed and maintained by the Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontiers of Flight Museum</span> Aviation museum in Dallas, Texas

The Frontiers of Flight Museum is an aerospace museum located in Dallas, Texas, founded in November 1988 by William E. Cooper, Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Jan Collmer. Originally located within a terminal at Dallas Love Field, the museum now occupies a 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) building at the southeast corner of Love Field on Lemmon Avenue. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affiliations program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estrella Warbird Museum</span> Aviation museum in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States

The Estrella Warbirds Museum is an aviation museum dedicated to the restoration and preservation of military aircraft, vehicles, and memorabilia. The museum is located at Paso Robles Municipal Airport in central California and is named after Estrella Army Airfield. In July, 2009, the museum opened an automobile display featuring classic racing cars, The Woodland Auto Display.

References

  1. ↑ Collings Foundation (n.d.). "Collings Foundation Background". Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  2. 1 2 Godlewski, Meg (30 November 2023). "Collings Foundation Grounds Air Tour for WWII Aircraft". Flying. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 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. ↑ "FAA Registry [N156FC]". Federal Aviation Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  39. ↑ "North American A-36". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  40. ↑ "North American AT-6F Texan". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  41. ↑ "North American B-25 Mitchell". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  42. ↑ "North American F-100F Super Sabre". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  43. ↑ "North American TF-51D Mustang". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  44. ↑ "North American TP-51C Mustang". Collings Foundation. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  45. ↑ "Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  46. ↑ "Vought F4U-5NL Corsair". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  47. ↑ "Waco UPF-7". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  48. ↑ "Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  49. ↑ "Messerschmitt Me 109". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  50. ↑ "1911 Wright Vin Fiz (Replica)". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  51. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Boeing SB-17G Fortress, s/n 44-83785 USAF, c/n 32426, c/r N207EV". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  52. ↑ "Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  53. ↑ "Douglas A-26 Invader". Collings Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  54. ↑ "Fairchild PT-19 "Tuskegee Airmen"". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  55. ↑ "Focke Wulf Fw 190 F-8". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  56. ↑ "FW-190 "White One"". American Aero Services. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  57. ↑ "Airframe Dossier - Focke Wulf Fw-190D-9, c/n 210096, c/r N190CF". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  58. ↑ "Grumman G-21 Goose". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  59. ↑ "Grumman JRF-2 'Goose'". American Aero Services. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  60. ↑ "Nieuport 28". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  61. ↑ "L-4 Grasshopper". American Heritage Museum. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  62. ↑ 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.
  63. ↑ "Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum Collection". 23 January 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.