By ANN Correspondent Rob Milford

Rick Harris got a last minute call to drop what he was doing in Houston, and head north on Interstate 45. Bob Collings and most of his foundation staff were snowed in during the weekend blizzard, and someone would have to run the booth at ICAS. Rick was the man.

The good news was, the display and brochures had all been shipped days earlier, and the booth was ready for set-up. So, after a couple of days of catching his breath, he was all smiles and handshakes when we stopped by for sit-rep on where things now fly for the folks from Stowe, Mass.

“There’s plenty of good news for the 2004 season”, Harris says, The Corsair is up, and at American Aero in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, in flight test.” Earlier this year, a malfunctioning landing gear meant a belly landing and all that entails. The B-17 is also there for extended maintenance, so the early Florida tour? “The B-24 and B-25 will be flying that. That will come to six engines and four tails… and should be a lot of fun.”

As for the rest of the fleet: “The S-2 and TBM are now being based at Ellington Field (EFD) Houston, along with the B-25 and the F-4 Phantom, and our newest jet the TA-4J.” I asked where that “Scooter” came from? “It spent 30 years with the Navy at NAS Pax River, part of the student flight syllabus. It will be getting a new paint job, but the pilots all love it.”

As far as ICAS?” We had a great show…lot’s of contacts, but the deals will be signed after the first of the year.”

FMI: www.collingsfoundation.org