Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress – World War II Aircraft Tour
While visiting our friends at National Indoor RV in Phoenix our good friend, and RV technical master (Steve!), invited us to join him on a tour of a World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress named “Aluminum Overcast” (Technically a B-17G). This aircraft is an amazing piece of history and has been meticulously restored by the Experimental Aircraft Association or EAA as they are know. Just under 13,000 of these amazing aircrafts were ever built by Boeing and only 39 remain in the United States today. The B-17 is quite an amazing piece of history, but flying inside was no luxury. With no heat and temperatures often well below freezing, brave veterans not only risked their lives to win the war, but did so under quite unpleasant conditions.
Experimental Aircraft Association
The EAA flies this and other aircraft all over the country providing normal folks like us the opportunity to tour this amazing piece of history. Ground tours are $10.00 per person ($20.00 for a family) and kids under 8 years old are free. What we really enjoyed was that the tours were staffed by actual veterans. They were so friendly and willing to share their knowledge about this amazing plane and its history and significance to the war effort.
If you’d like to take the experience to the next level, you can also go on a flight tour in this amazing aircraft. That privilege will set you back $449.00 (less if you are an EAA member) but that truly is a once in a lifetime experience.
Plan Your Own Tour
More information on where the EAA and the B-17 will be can be found at their website located here.
Ground Tours
2-5 p.m. (unless noted), weather permitting
$10: Individual Rate
$20: Family Rate (adults/children up to 17)
Free: Children under 8 (with paying adult)
Free: Veterans / Active Military
Mission Flights (weather permitting)
Advance
$409: EAA Members
$449: Nonmembers
Walk-Up
$435: EAA Members
$475: Nonmembers
Excellent video. What fun. Several years ago I took a Collings Foundation flight. I was a military pilot in Vietnam and I was impressed at the hardships the crew members of WW2 had to deal with. How would you like to be a belly gunner on one of those old aircraft with enemy aircraft and ground fire coming your way! Those crewmembers were brave.
Great video, thanks.
right? Completely crazy that if the plane was damaged or didn’t have landing gear that they had to sacrifice the belly gunner to land in most cases because they got in from the outside of the plane not the inside. Really crazy piece of history. thanks for watching and for checking in!
There was actually a twilight zone episode about that. The belly gunner will’ed a magical landing gear. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0511124/