05 Nov 2017 B-17 to make stop in the 501

A B-17 is coming to the 501 and will be available for rides and tours.

Known as “The Flying Fortress,” the B-17 bomber is considered one of the greatest military airplanes ever built and one of the best-known aircraft types of the World War II era.

The Experimental Aircraft Association’s plane, nicknamed Aluminum Overcast, is part of a national tour and will be at Conway’s Cantrell Field from Friday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 12. Since EAA began tours of the aircraft in 1994, tens of thousands of people have experienced this unique airplane through its flights and ground tours. 

Rides can be purchased, which allow people to “Join the Flight” and experience this historical aircraft from the air. Ground tours are also available at each tour location in the afternoon. For more information, including rates for flights and ground tours, visit B17.org or contact EAA’s B-17 Tour Office at 800.359.6217. Special pre-book rates on flights are available for EAA members and non-members.

EAA’s Aluminum Overcast was built in 1945, but was delivered to the Army Air Corps too late to see active service in World War II. The B-17 was donated to the EAA Aviation Foundation in 1981 with the provision of the aircraft being maintained in airworthy condition. After being displayed at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh, Wis., for a decade, the airplane made its national tour debut in the spring of 1994.