(Source: Collings Foundation)



When I came to McKinleyville about 12 years ago I rented a shack at the end of Holly Drive. It was referred to as the “drive through house” because once a vehicle had literally driven into the living room.

That’s what happens when you have a house located at the end of a long straight-a-away – eventually someone gets liquored up and fails to negotiate the 90-degree turn.

This house was a real piece of crap. Where the floor met the walls, there was a crack where you could see outside. A frog lived in the bathroom. There was no heat. The oven didn’t function properly. It was drafty and the roof leaked. Next door were a couple of meth heads who snorted powder night and day and played “Back in Black” at 3 a.m.

It was far from the ideal house, but I didn’t have the luxury of being choosey.

I had just gotten a good job as the news editor at the Arcata Union. It was a sweet position.

I needed a place to live, one that would accept both of us along with our two dogs. Options were limited. So we grabbed the shack.

On the first day I moved in, the landlord was there trying to repair the roof. I decided to help.

I was smearing some tar around when I heard the sound of an airplane. I looked up and saw a B-24 Liberator coming right at me! It flew at a very low altitude almost directly over the house before banking west towards the airport.

For a second or two, I entertained the notion that this was a “Twilight Zone” moment – I had been inexplicably transported back to the early 1940s.

Later I learned that it was the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour. It’s a cool organization that has a Liberator and a B-17 – both fully functional. They fly them from airport to airport and give tours.

In this week’s paper, I printed an article about the foundation’s planned visit to the McKinleyville airport this weekend.

But I print a lot of stuff – week after week after week. So after the paper comes out, I clear my memory banks. Out with the old, in with the new. I don’t want the time, date and location of every bake sale, ball game and public hearing clouding my mind.

So I was driving down Central Avenue this afternoon when I heard an usual sound. I looked up and saw a B-17 Flying Fortress overhead! WTF?

Of course, the Collings Foundation.

I had my window rolled down and my head out the window admiring the aircraft. I was gawking as if I had just spotted a topless Victoria’s Secret model prancing down main street.

There’s something about the B-17 that triggers an emotional response. It’s not just an aircraft, it’s an amazing aircraft.

There’s all sorts of history behind it. It’s an icon. Maybe it’s all the movies I grew up watching.

On Saturday I’ll take some photos and climb inside.