What The Collings Foundation does

The Collings Foundation is a non-profit educational 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1979 and headquartered in Stow, Massachusetts. It preserves American military heritage by maintaining and operating one of the world's largest collections of airworthy WWII-era aircraft and a major collection of historic military vehicles. Its core operations include the Wings of Freedom Tour (a national traveling program launched in 1989 that has visited over 3,600 communities), the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA (67,000+ sq ft of display space housing the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection), Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE) aboard WWII bombers and fighters, and recurring living history events such as 'American Elegance', 'Race of the Century', and 'Battle for the Airfield'. The foundation serves history and aviation enthusiasts, WWII veterans and their families, educational institutions, and philanthropic donors.

The foundation's core technology and assets are physical rather than digital: a fleet of airworthy historic aircraft including the B-17 Flying Fortress 'Nine-O-Nine', the B-24J Liberator 'Witchcraft' (the only airworthy B-24J in the world), a B-25 Mitchell, P-51 Mustangs, a P-38 Lightning, F4U Corsair, trainers (PT-17 Stearman, TF-51D), and jet trainers (TA-4 Skyhawk, Me-262, F-4 Phantom), plus over 100 rare large military artifacts in the museum. A Florida-based winter maintenance base supports year-round airworthiness. No software, AI/ML, or digital platform capabilities are indicated.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams: tax-deductible donations and recurring memberships, paid Living History Flight Experiences, museum admission fees, online merchandise sales (apparel, patches, pins, model kits, books, specialty items ranging $3-$180), and co-branded partnership products such as a 2020 limited-edition Geoffrey Roth pilot watch at $2,250 per unit with $250 donated to the foundation. The go-to-market is event-driven and direct-to-consumer: the Wings of Freedom Tour brings aircraft to 120+ airports annually, supplemented by the physical museum and an e-commerce storefront. Customer segments are individuals and small groups; there are no named enterprise customers.

Name

The Collings Foundation

Legal name

The Collings Foundation

Website

https://collingsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Collings Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded in 1979 that preserves American military heritage by operating airworthy WWII aircraft and the American Heritage Museum, offering flight experiences, national tours, and exhibits to aviation and history enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: Tax-deductible charitable contributions and annual membership programs. The Collings Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dependent on individual support from donors across the country.
2. Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE): Fee-based flight experiences aboard historic WWII aircraft including B-17, B-24, B-25, and A-1E bombers, as well as flight training on TP-51C, TF-51D, and TP-40N aircraft.
3. Museum Admissions: Admission fees for the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA featuring over 67,000 square feet of display space with tanks, military vehicles, artillery, and aircraft from Revolutionary War through modern era.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online PX store selling branded merchandise including patches, pins, hats, clothing, models, books, and commemorative items related to foundation aircraft and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Collings Foundation preserves and operates a fleet of airworthy WWII-era bombers and fighters (including the world's only airworthy B-24J Liberator "Witchcraft," B-17 "Nine-O-Nine," and B-25 "Tondelayo") and sells paid Living History Flight Experiences aboard them, plus flight training on vintage military aircraft such as the TA-4 Skyhawk, Me-262, and F-4 Phantom. It also operates the 67,000+ square-foot American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA featuring the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection of tanks and military vehicles, runs the nationwide Wings of Freedom Tour, and sells branded heritage merchandise through an online PX store.

Product overview

The Collings Foundation is a non-profit educational organization (501c-3) founded in 1979 that preserves living history through direct participation. Its core offerings include historic aircraft collections (B-17 Flying Fortress 'Nine-O-Nine', B-24 Liberator 'Witchcraft', B-25 Mitchell 'Tondelayo', various fighters and trainers), Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE) aboard WWII aircraft, the Wings of Freedom Tour national traveling program, and the American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA featuring tanks and military vehicles. The Foundation also offers flight training programs on vintage military aircraft and operates an e-commerce store selling themed merchandise including apparel, patches, pins, model kits, books, and specialty items. A notable 2020 partnership produced limited-edition Geoffrey Roth pilot watches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wings of Freedom Tour: A national tour program offering Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE) on vintage WWII aircraft including B-17, B-24, B-25, and A-1E, as well as flight training on TP-51C, TF-51D, and TP-40N.
• American Heritage Museum
• VMF Flight Training Programs

Products and services

• Living History Flight Experiences (LHFE) Paid immersive flight experiences aboard airworthy WWII aircraft including the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, and A-1E, enabling participants to learn about aviation heritage through direct participation. Tens of thousands have flown aboard these experiences.
• Wings of Freedom Tour National touring program that brings historic WWII aircraft (B-17, B-24, B-25, and TF-51D Mustang) to over 120 airports annually across the United States, offering ground tours and flight experience sales at each stop.
• American Heritage Museum 67,000+ square-foot museum in Hudson, MA featuring the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection of tanks, military vehicles, artillery, and aircraft spanning the Revolutionary War through current Armed Forces, including one of the world's largest WWII armor collections.
• Flight Training Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,600 communities visited since 1989
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Geoffrey Roth Watch EngineeringminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2020Watchmaking brand partnered with Collings Foundation to create limited-edition 250-piece HH7 Pilot Watch honoring the B-24J 'Witchcraft' Liberator. For every watch sold at $2,250, Geoffrey Roth donates $250 directly to the foundation. The partnership combines American craftsmanship and aviation history preservation.
• Jacques Littlefield (Military Vehicle Technology Foundation collection)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransfer of Jacques Littlefield's Military Vehicle Technology Foundation collection to the Collings Foundation. This major collection addition included tanks, military vehicles, and equipment that became the foundation of the American Heritage Museum, representing one of the world's largest collections of WWII armor.
• American Heritage MuseumcoreOthersMuseum branch featuring the Jacques M. Littlefield Collection located at the Stow/Hudson, MA headquarters. The museum displays tanks, military vehicles, artillery, and aircraft from the Revolutionary War through modern era across over 67,000 square feet of display space.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Military Aviation Museum: Virginia Beach museum with one of the world's largest collections of flying WWI and WWII military aircraft. Closely comparable to the Collings Foundation in operating airworthy warbirds and offering flight experiences, though on a smaller and more regionally focused footprint.
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA): EAA operates EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the world's largest aviation gathering, and a major aviation museum. Comparable as a non-profit aviation heritage/education organization with annual events, museum operations, and member/donor-driven revenue — overlapping with Collings' Wings of Freedom Tour and American Heritage Museum model.
• National WWII Museum: New Orleans-based museum and education complex focused on the WWII American experience. Comparable to American Heritage Museum as a paid-admission WWII/military heritage institution with large artifact collections and educational programming, though it does not maintain an airworthy flying collection.
• Fantasy of Flight: Polk City, FL attraction featuring a large collection of vintage warbirds operated for tours and flight experiences. Comparable business model (warbird flight experiences + aviation tourism) but operated as a for-profit versus Collings' 501(c)(3) structure.
• Commemorative Air Force: Largest warbird preservation organization in the world; operates the world's largest flying collection of WWII aircraft and runs the popular 'Doolittle Raiders' and airshow tour circuits. Directly comparable to the Collings Foundation in mission (preserving airworthy WWII aircraft) and revenue model (flight experiences, tours, donations).
• Yanks Air Museum: Chino, CA-based warbird collection featuring restored WWII aircraft including some of the rarest flying examples in the world. Comparable as a privately operated heritage collection focused on airworthy WWII aircraft, with similar mission and donor/revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• National Museum of the United States Air Force: The official USAF museum in Dayton, OH with one of the world's largest collections of military aircraft. Comparable to the American Heritage Museum as a major military-aviation heritage institution, though it is government-operated, free to enter, and not involved in flight experiences.
• Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: The world's most-visited aviation and space museum. Comparable as a major aviation heritage institution with massive artifact collections, but does not operate passenger flight experiences and is a federal institution rather than an independent non-profit.

Emerging players

• Warbird Adventures: For-profit operator offering paid flight experiences in restored WWII trainers and fighters (e.g., T-6 Texan, P-51 Mustang). Comparable commercial overlap with Collings' Living History Flight Experience program, though smaller in scale and focused primarily on adventure flights rather than living history.

Regional players

• Texas Flying Legends Museum: Houston-area warbird museum operating WWII aircraft for display and airshow tours. Comparable in mission and airworthy-collection model but primarily serves the Gulf Coast/Southwest rather than the Northeast U.S. footprint of Collings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/collingsfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/collings-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Collings Foundation