Generations fly off

LONG BEACH — Dean Morrow flew 35 missions in a B-24 bomber during World War II. Wednesday he flew his 36th.

The veteran, who lives in the Eastbluff neighborhood of Newport Beach, hadn’t flown in a B-24 since the war ended in 1945. His love of flying, however, had rubbed off on his grandson, Kirby — and when Morrow heard that the only B-24 still in flying condition would be traveling from Long Beach to Camarillo Wednesday morning, he arranged to bring Kirby on the trip.

Around 11 a.m., the plane — named “Witchcraft” — took off from Long Beach Airport with the Morrows, the pilots and a small group of other passengers on board. The plane rattled and hummed as wind rushed in through the windows and Los Angeles County flickered between the openings in the floor. When the flight ended, Dean Morrow stepped to the ground triumphantly.

“Thirty-six missions now!” he exclaimed.

It was a singular moment for both Morrows. Dean, who meets with fellow veterans outside the Ralph’s in Eastbluff several times a week, had piloted a B-24 but never enjoyed the ride as a passenger. For Kirby, 11, it was a new experience altogether. The younger Morrow sported his grandfather’s Army Air Corps jacket during the flight and had fun playing with the unloaded machine guns that pointed out the vehicle’s windows.

“It was like flying a plane on your own,” said Kirby, a fifth-grader at Eastbluff Elementary School.

Kirby has been an aviation buff for most of his life, assembling model planes in his bedroom and watching “The Aviator” and other flight-themed movies time and again. Once the plane landed at Camarillo, he got a ride back to Eastbluff to finish the school day. It is a safe bet that he was the only student there who spent the morning in a flying machine designed to stop Adolf Hitler.

Dean Morrow arranged Wednesday’s trip by contacting the Collings Foundation, a Massachusetts-based organization that preserves old planes, and asking if he and his grandson could ride along. Hunter Chaney, the foundation’s marketing director, was more than happy to oblige. The foundation sends its planes on tour year-round, and Chaney said one of its main missions was to educate younger generations.

Witchcraft, according to Chaney, survived World War II intact because it was built too late in the war to see combat. After the war, he said, it passed to the Indian Air Force before a collector brought it to the Collings Foundation.

“What we focus on is making a history lesson as tactile as possible, because that’s when it becomes more memorable,” he said. “When you have really interesting folks like Dean and their children or grandchildren, it’s really neat to see that come together.”