Donations Keep Them Flying
Preserving a generation of American history in airborne condition and showcasing it to the world comes at a great cost.
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Because, in the interest of airborne safety and historical authenticity, we do not cut any corners on our maintenance, crew training, or historical education programming, operating Placid Lassie costs at minimum $250,000 annually.
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Our historic appearances in Europe in 2014, 2019, and 2024 in commemoration of the D-Day invasion and Berlin Airlift cost about $175,000 each, in addition to our normal operating costs.
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Additionally, our efforts to restore our PBY Catalina to airworthy status and operate her at airshows across the nation, in tribute to another less-recognized story of valiant wartime and postwar service, are expected to cost over $1 million.
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We are fortunate to be able to bolster our revenue through merchandise sales and appearance fees as a popular airshow act in collaboration with a variety of round-canopy parachute reenactment teams, but these cover only a fraction of our costs. Please consider joining our devoted group of donors who contribute to keep historic aircraft in the skies.
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If you have any questions regarding leadership giving or corporate sponsorship, please contact Luc Zipkin, Development Chair, by email or at (914) 602-4846.
$175,000
$140,476
2024 Legacy Tour Fundraising
$140,476 out of $175,000 raised to date
Our 2024 Legacy Tour commemorates the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion and the 75th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, remembering both the wartime sacrifice and post-war humanitarianism of the Allied forces.
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Our 1943 Douglas C-47 Skytrain, known as Placid Lassie, is a real veteran of both the famous invasion of Normandy and several critical operations in 1944 and 1945 to free Europe of Nazi rule. Today, the Tunison Foundation is leading the memory of the men and women who fought for freedom by returning this historic airplane to Europe for the anniversary.
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We have airshow bookings in England, France, Germany, and Italy, and an experienced crew to operate and maintain this exceptional and historic airplane. We've done this twice before, in 2014 and 2019. As custodians of this artifact– which helped to fight for democracy for millions –we need your help to do it again, to honor our veterans and help generations now and forever remember their sacrifice.
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If you are planning a large gift (greater than $1,000), please send a check to the address below so that we can avoid online transaction fees.
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Tunison Foundation, Inc.
c/o Tradewind Aviation, LLC
3 Juliano Drive, Suite 1
Oxford, CT 06478