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. 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 Airport (Texas), Ellington Field in Houston, Texas, primarily housing its Korean War and Vietnam War jet aircraft and helicopter collection. The Collings Foundation operates two touring collections of historic military aircraft: The Wings of Freedom Tour and The Vietnam Memorial Flight. The Wings of Freedom flights also provided a platform for testing a smartphone-based automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B), a means of future air safety technology. The Collings Foundation offered vintage warbird rides to the general public in exchange for donations until permission for such flights was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration following the 2019 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash, fatal 2019 crash of the foundation's B-17G.

History

The organization was founded in 1979 by Robert F. Collings and Caroline Collings. , Caroline Collings continues to serve as financial director, while son Rob Collings is the CEO and chief pilot of the foundation. 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. The remaining vehicles are now the centerpiece of the American Heritage Museum in Stow, Massachusetts. The organization's B-17G Flying Fortress 2019 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash, 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 In March 2020, the organization's permission to carry passengers was revoked by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), citing “notable maintenance discrepancies” and a failure to maintain a “a culture of safety” leading up to the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.

Collection

Aircraft collection

Airworthy aircraft

* Bell UH-1E Iroquois * Bleriot XI * Boeing PT-17 Kaydet * Boeing PT-17 Kaydet * Cessna UC-78 Bobcat * Consolidated B-24J Liberator ''"Witchcraft"'' * Curtiss Headless Pusher * Curtiss Model F * Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Curtiss P-40B Tomahawk * Curtiss TP-40N Warhawk * Douglas A-1E Skyraider * Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk * Eastern FM-2 Wildcat * Grumman TBF Avenger, Eastern TBM-3E Avenger * Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat * Lockheed P-38L Lightning ''"Pudgy V"'' * Lockheed T-33 * McDonnell F-4D Phantom II * Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe ''"White 1"'' – Reproduction * Morane-Saulnier MS.500 Criquet * North American A-36 Mustang * North American AT-6 Texan * North American B-25J Mitchell ''"Tondelayo"'' * North American F-100F Super Sabre * North American P-51 Mustang, North American TF-51D Mustang ''"Toulouse Nuts"'' * North American TP-51C Mustang ''"Betty Jane"'' * Supermarine Spitfire, Supermarine Spitfire IX * Vought F4U Corsair, Vought F4U-5NL Corsair * Waco UPF-7

Static aircraft

* Lockheed T-33 * Messerschmitt Bf 109 variants#G-10, Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-10 * Wright Model EX "Vin Fiz Flyer" – Replica

Aircraft under restoration

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress ''44-83785'' * Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina * Douglas A-26B Invader * Fairchild PT-19 * Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8 ''"White One"'', ''Werknummer'' 931 862 * Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 ''"White Two"'' * Grumman G-21 Goose * Nieuport 28 * Piper J-3 Cub, Piper L-4H Grasshopper 43-30426 ''"Rosie the Rocketer"'' (flown by then-Major Charles Carpenter (lieutenant colonel), Charles Carpenter in France, 1944).

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 (automobile), 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

*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

*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: * 1917 Vim "Camp Devens Express" * 1920 Ford Model T Ambulance * 1942 Ford Jeep, GPW Willys MB * 1943 White Motor Co. M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, M-16 half-track *M1917 light tank, M1917 6 Ton tank (American version of the Renault FT) *Panzer I, Panzer I. A *Panther tank, Panzer V "Panther" Ausf. A. Only running Panther in the USA *Mercedes-Benz W31, Mercedes G4 staff car *Light Tank Mk VI, Vickers Mk. IV light tank *M4 Sherman, Sherman turret trainer *M3 Lee *Matilda II, Matilda MK.II tank *Sd.Kfz. 10 1-Ton – German half-track , Personnel Carrier/Prime Mover *Leichter Panzerspähwagen Sd.Kfz. 222 armored scout car – Germany *BMW R75 motorcycle and side car *M3 Scout Car, M3A1 scout car *M3 Stuart, M5A1 Stuart light tank *Volkswagen Kübelwagen, VW Kübelwagen Type 82 *Volkswagen Schwimmwagen, Schwimmwagen Type 166 *T-34/76 Tank *Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf. D armored half-track *Sd.Kfz. 2 Kleines Kettenkrad "track-cycle" *LCVP (United States), LCVP "Higgins Boat" *Cromwell tank, Cromwell I tank *Hetzer, Jagdpanzer 38t Hetzer *M4 Sherman, M4A3E2 Sherman "Jumbo" tank *M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, M16 MGMC half track *Howitzer Motor Carriage M8, M8 Scott *M22 Locust airborne tank *M18 Hellcat tank destroyer *Comet (tank), A34 Comet *IS-1 and IS-2, IS-2 Iosef Stalin *SU-100 *Sd.Kfz. 8 12 ton German half-track *Kommandogerät 38 *V-1 "Republic-Ford JB-2, JB-2 Loon" *M8 Greyhound *Landing Vehicle Tracked, LVT(A)-4 Landing Vehicle *M29 Weasel, M29C Weasel *Daimler Dingo Mk1 *M3 Lee, M3 Gun Motor Carriage *M7 Priest SPH *M26 Pershing, M26A1 Pershing *M24 Chaffee *M39 Armored Utility Vehicle, M39 Armored Utility Vehicle *M2 Bradley, M2A1 ''Bradley'' Fighting Vehicle *ZSU-23-4 Shilka, ZPU-23 Anti Aircraft Gun *M41 Walker Bulldog *M48 Patton, M48 Patton *PT-76 Amphibious Tank *T-72, T72G *M551 Sheridan *M60 Patton, M60A1 *T-54/T-55, T-55 *MAZ-7310/Scud, Scud-B Missile Launcher *ZSU-23-4 Shilka, ZSU-23-4 SHILKA Anti-Aircraft Tank *2S1 Gvozdika, 2S1 GVOZDIKA *M1 Abrams, M1A1 Abrams Tank *QinetiQ Foster-Miller TALON, TALON robot *PackBot, iRobot PackBot

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

References

External links

*
The Last Flying B-24 Bomber (Collings Foundation)
via YouTube {{authority control Aerospace museums in Massachusetts Automobile museums in Massachusetts Educational foundations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Massachusetts Ellington Airport (Texas) Museums established in 1979 1979 establishments in Massachusetts