Springbank Airport had the honour of hosting the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, Aluminum Overcast, from June 22 to June 27.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a heavy bomber plane used by the United States Army Air Forces for strategic bombing campaigns during the Second World War.
“This particular aircraft was manufactured and came off the assembly line just before the war ended so it didn’t fly in combat,” said Rene Prevost with the association.
Prevost said the plane was stripped of its guns after the war and was subsequently sent to Africa to haul livestock such as pigs and fish. It eventually made its way back to North America where it was restored and came into the hands of the association’s war birds division.
“The EAA is a worldwide aviation organization that not only has and restored war planes but famous aircrafts from many different eras,” Prevost explained.
Aluminum Overcast is a later model of the B-17 design, which included 13 50-calibre guns rather than the original seven. The ‘G’ version is considered to be the final design of the B-17.
“Each one of those guns weighed 98 lbs. And the bomb load on the aircraft varied – it could carry anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 lbs so it depended where the mission was, they would carry the amount of fuel needed and that would dictate how many pounds of explosives they could carry,” Prevost explained.
Thousands of people flocked to the Springbank Airport to tour inside the plane and even board it for a flight. Many veterans and veterans’ children were among those who visited the craft.
“It was fantastic – the comments we were getting from people getting off the aircraft were how glad they were that they did this and that it was once in a lifetime. Especially for those who were veterans or had parents or grandparents that were veterans,” Prevost said.
The association is currently touring the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast across North America for tours and flights.
