Students treated to ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ experience

"Amazing!" "Fantastic!" Those were words used by four lucky Montecito High School students after taking a flight aboard a World War II aircraft bomber thanks to a generous benefactor.

"I'm ecstatic," junior Javier Gomez said before taking the flight on the consolidated B-24 Liberator "Witchcraft." "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Gathering after their flight on the WWII bomber, paid for by a benefactor, are Montecito High teacher Bruce Tobias, students Matthew Tarantino, Nicholas Tarantino, Daniel Caudillo, and Javier Gomez, and teachers Nick Jordan and Pablo Linares. (Karen Brainard)

Gomez and the other students, Daniel Caudillo and twin brothers Matthew and Nick Tarantino, were at Ramona Airport last Wednesday morning when the Collings Foundation was displaying its Wings of Freedom Tour that included the B-24, and three other WWII aircraft.

With them was Montecito High history teacher Bruce Tobias, who the previous week had arranged for a WWII veteran to speak to a group of students. That veteran, 95-year-old Don Foulkes of Fallbrook, told students about being a bombardier on a B-24.

Although the students were originally scheduled to fly on the B-17 Flying Fortress “Nine O Nine,” they were given the opportunity to fly on the B-24, which they jumped at enthusiastically. Gomez noted that the B-24 "Witchcraft" is the only one of its kind still flying.

Student Javier Gomez looks out the open window of the B-24 as he and the others get ready for take-off. (Karen Brainard)

After the half-hour flight, Gomez said, “It was great. It’s like no other airplane.”

Tobias said he selected the students from those attending Foulkes’ presentation.

Gomez, a senior, said he has always been interested in history and wants to join the Navy.

Caudillo, also a senior, said he is interested in aviation and may enlist in the Navy. Caudillo comes from a military family, noted his mother, Nicole Caudillo, who came to watch. That includes a grandfather who served in the Korean War, the other grandfather who served in Vietnam, and Daniel’s father, who was an Army Ranger, she said.

For the Tarantino brothers, who are juniors, the flight aboard the B-24 was their first time flying.

“It was great, so cool,” said Nick.

“I got to see my house,” noted Matthew.

With the wind blowing in from the open window as they fly above Ramona, Nicholas Tarantino sees what it was like for servicemen on a B-24. (Bruce Tobias)

Not only did the four students fly, but the benefactor, Dave Walker, president of Avista Technologies in San Marcos, paid for Tobias and two other MHS teachers to fly. Construction teacher Nick Jordan and bilingual para educator Pablo Linares joined Tobias and the students.

In addition, Walker paid for all the Montecito High students to tour the four planes on the ground.

Tobias explained that Walker, his wife’s employer, has been a benefactor for many years and wanted to do more for the school.

“And he got more and more involved with us,” Tobias said.

Walker is also involved in taking WWII veterans on Honor Flights to see the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C., and that was how he met Foulkes. Walker helped facilitate the veteran’s presentation at Montecito High.

During the flight, the students saw areas of the plane that Foulkes had talked about. Caudillo said they crawled to where the tail gunner and nose gunner were, and to the front part of the plane where the bombardier was.

“Definitely a tight space,” he said.

Another interesting aspect the passengers noted was that the gun windows on the plane were open.

Pilot Jim Goolsby gives a briefing before the flight. From left: Montecito High teachers Pablo Linares and Nick Jordan, students Daniel Caudillo and Javier Gomez, teacher Bruce Tobias, and students Matthew and Nicholas Tarantino. (Karen Brainard)

Before the flight, pilot Jim Goolsby with Collings Foundation, gave the students and teachers a briefing, telling them that they when they hear a bell, the bail-out bell, they can unbuckle their seatbelts to move around on the flight, and when they hear it again, they have to buckle up.

“Don’t bail out,” he said.