B-24 up the Hudson

Yesterday, (Sunday) I was getting of a boat on 26th St about 6:30 pm and spotted a B-24 flying north up the Hudson Yesterday.

From the tail markings it looks like it was B-24J

44-44052 Witchcraft - Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts. This B-24 is the most widely recognized restored example worldwide. It is the only fully authentic B-24J model that still flies. It originally flew for the RAF as a bombing and resupply aircraft at the beginning of WWII. after an extensive service debut the B-24 was transferred to the Indian Air Force to fly a similar role, by 1968 the aircraft found itself scrapped and abandoned in a field after the IAF decommissioned and retired it. It remained in this location for over a decade before an extensive recovery team led by British aircraft collector Doug Arnold located the derelict airframe in 1981, Arnold had the wreckage airlifted to England where he advertised it in "as is" condition. Shortly afterwards in 1984 the wreck was purchased by the Collings Foundation, a non-profit organization known for restoring aircraft that is based in Stow, MA. the wrecked liberator was shipped across the Atlantic to Boston, MA that year before being trucked in three separate loads to Stow, MA. although originally intended to be restored exclusively as a static display in Stow, thousands of dollars of additional funding and restoration corporations and volunteers persuaded the foundation to return the unique aircraft to airworthy status. Since it flew again for the first time on September 10th, 1989 the B-24 has gone through three separate paint schemes each honoring a different squadron and theater of the war. It was first painted as "ALL AMERICAN" (1989-1998) a former 15th Air Force bomber that flew missions over Italy. it was then repainted as "the Dragon and His Tail" (1998-2005), thought to be the "most expansive" example of WW II Allied military aircraft nose art, as the original "dragon" artwork ran nearly the entire length of the fuselage sides. The third paint scheme had the B-24 repainted as "Witchcraft" (2005-Present) to honor the 8th Air Force of the European Theater in perhaps its most significant nose art of the three. Witchcraft still flies for the Collings Foundation and is currently based at New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport at the American Aero Services where it was restored, it has flown with the famous Wings of Freedom Tour since 1989 where it visits around 120 airports year round across the entire continental U.S alongside the Foundation's B-17G Flying Fortress and P-51C Mustang educating the public on the historical significance of the last airworthy B-24J^[13]^[14]