Famous World War II warplanes B-17, B-24, B-25 and P-51 to fly into Venice Municipal Airport

VENICE -- Four warplanes of the unfriendly skies over the European and Pacific theaters in World War II will visit Thursday at the Venice Municipal Airport.

The Collings Foundation, which preserves historic airplanes in memory of the service and sacrifices of WWII veterans, will make planes available for tours and flights, according to its website.

The four planes:

The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Nine-O-Nine"

The Consolidated B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft"

The North American B-25J Mitchell "Tondelayo"

The North American P-51C Mustang "Betty Jane"

The B-17 and B-24 were long-range four-engine bombers.

The B-25 was a twin-engine medium bomber made famous by the "Doolittle Raid" on Japan that lifted American morale in 1942.

The P-51 Mustang was a fighter plane with the range and capability to take on the best Germans and Japanese fighter planes.

Visitors can walk through the B-17 and B-24, and see the B-25 and the P-51, for a donation. The fee is waived for World War II veterans.

For a larger donation, flights on all four planes are available. The P-51 is a dual-control airplane with room for a passenger.

Flight donations are tax deductible.

The planes will be on display from 2-4:30 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday.

Venice is the final stop on the foundation's 2016 Wings of Freedom Tour in Florida.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Famous World War II warplanes B-17, B-24, B-25 and P-51 to fly into Venice Municipal Airport ."