Few things compare to getting up close and personal with history. Stepping into the B-17 Aluminum Overcast, you can’t help but think “Man, those pilots sure were skinny.” Or maybe that’s just me.
Area residents can experience it for themselves and even take a flight aboard this historic aircraft today through Sunday at the Shreveport Downtown Airport. Ground tours will be available from 2 to 5 p.m. each day. Tours are $10 for an individual or $20 for a family. Veterans and active military can tour the plane for free, and children under 8 are free with a paid adult admission.
Mission flights also will be available. Flights are $435 for members of the Experimental Aircraft Association and $475 for non-members.
The Aluminum Overcast is one of the few remaining airworthy B-17 left. The EAA is touring the country with the Aluminum Overcast to give people this first-hand look at history.,
“Stand in the footsteps of the bombardier, the navigator, and the waist gunner and relive history by experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly in one of World War II’s most vital and magnificent aircraft,” the EAA’s website says.
Revenues from the B-17 tour help cover maintenance and operations costs for the aircraft and aid there EAA’s ambition to “keep ’em flying” for many years to come.
The EAA was founded in 1953 by a group of individuals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who were interested in building their own airplanes, EAA expanded its mission of growing participation in aviation to include antiques, classics, warbirds, aerobatic aircraft, ultralights, helicopters, and contemporary manufactured aircraft.
