Centennial Airport
The engines roar and the big plane shakes as it speeds down the runaway, and in seconds one of the last remaining flight-worthy B-17 bombers from World War II rumbles into the sky.
The Flying Fortress evokes strong emotions from people, especially among those who served during the war and their families.
“This is about the memories of guys we lost, keeping them alive by flying the airplane around the country,” said Harold Weekly, 84, of Atlanta, a former B-17 pilot who was shot down over France and was in town for the event.
The B-17 named Aluminum Overcast belches smoke from its four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone engines. The brakes squeak and it leaks oil, but plenty of adoring volunteers were on hand at Centennial Airport to wipe down its aluminum skin.
The 34,000-pound hulk has a 103-foot wingspan. During a sudden, cold rain Thursday, dozens of people stayed dry under the wings.
“Basically, it’s a tough bird,” said Mack Connley, 83, of Golden, also a former B-17 pilot who flew 31 missions over Europe. “It’s a nice, easy-flying airplane. A real reliable airplane.”
During the war, more than 12,000 B-17s were built. Today, only about a dozen are still flying.
Ken Noble’s father, Clymer Noble, flew a B-24 bomber in the war. Noble wore his deceased father’s service medals and flew on the Aluminum Overcast on Thursday.
“It brings me closer to him, that’s the bottom line,” said Noble, a Jefferson County resident.
The plane cast a spell on others as well.
“I got chills,” Janet Stafford of Greenwood Village cried out when it first touched down.
Stafford’s father, Ben Mullen, now deceased, was a P-56 pilot during World War II. “This is one of his great loves,” Stafford said of the vintage warplanes.
The B-17 is owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association and is based in Oshkosh, Wis. A crew of six – a pilot, co-pilot, two mechanics and two tour coordinators – flew the bomber to Centennial from Montana as part of its national tour.
“It’s heavy, and it takes a lot of physical strength to fly; it wears you out,” said volunteer co-pilot Neil Morrison, 45, who works as a pilot for UPS.
During takeoff and landing, all passengers must be buckled in, but during the flight they can move about the plane. The nose gunner’s seat, at the front of the plane below the pilot, offers a true bird’s-eye view from behind a plastic bubble.
Public flights will be available this weekend, with prices ranging from $359 to $425. Call 920-371-2246 to reserve seats, which are limited. Tours are available for $6 a person or $10 for a family.
A “hangar dance” will be held tonight with a big-band orchestra, USO-style food and decorations, and World War II veterans on hand. Tickets are $50.
It’s a chance to capture history, said Greg Anderson, chief executive of Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum.
“This airplane demonstrates better than any other airplane what our country went through in World War II,” Anderson said. “We are honored to have people experience this.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-820-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
