October 25-27, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A “Sentimental Journey,” Indeed

In a few weeks, COPPERSTATE Fly-In & Aviation Expo attendees can experience “Wheels up!” aboard the most fully restored WWII B-17 bomber in the country.

(CASA GRANDE, ARIZ., Sept. 28, 2011) — The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Arizona Wing Aviation Museum will be offering rides in five WWII aircraft — including “Sentimental Journey,” a pristinely restored B-17G Flying Fortress — at the 39^th-annual COPPERSTATE Fly-In & Aviation Expo at the Casa Grande Municipal Airport, Oct. 20-22, 2011.

Rides on the B-17 start at $425 per person — definitely not pocket change. But, as CAF spokesperson Rick Senffer explains, it costs about $3,000 an hour to fly the aircraft. “The price of maintenance, like anything else, continues to increase,” he says — especially for fuel, insurance, engine overhauls and parts. All monies generated on paid flights keep “Sentimental Journey” flying.

Of course, for aviation enthusiasts, the chance to fly in a B-17 is priceless, anyway. As Senffer points out, most museums have similar aircraft roped off, only letting visitors take photos. “But, taking a flight in our B-17 — the most fully restored B-17 flying today — is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he adds. “It’s a flying museum.

“Many of these bombers were built by women known as ‘Rosie the Riveters’ and ultimately flown by aircrews in their late teens or early twenties during WWII,” Senffer continues. “In the 8^th Air Force alone, more than 26,000 aircrew members were lost. These flights not only let you relive a small part of what it was like to fly in [these aircraft], but to remember and honor those aviators.”

A Storied Service Career

Since “Sentimental Journey” rolled off the assembly line in 1944, it has served as a photo-mapping plane, an air-sea rescue craft, and in a postwar testing operation that measured blast and thermal effects and collected radioactive cloud samples. “During the test, a drone aircraft would be taken off by ground control,” states the CAF website. “A ‘mother ship,’ already airborne, would then come from behind, take control of the drone and fly it to the target area.” She was that mother ship.

In 1959, this B-17 was transferred to Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. for storage. Within a few months, it was acquired for civilian use. “For the ensuing 18 years, an aircraft designed to survive no more than a hundred missions flew literally thousands of sorties against forest fires throughout the country,” Senffer says.

In January 1978, the aircraft was donated to the then-new Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. To name the B-17, the local media held a contest that generated more than 800 entries. “Sentimental Journey” was selected.

For nose art, the most famous WWII-era pinup photo of Betty Grable was chosen. The team secured permission from her widower, Harry James, first.

Next, they got to work cleaning, polishing and repainting the bomber’s WWII markings, as well as restoring it to excellent mechanical condition. Extensive crew training commenced to ensure the B-17 was prepared to fly with the rest of the CAF fleet.

For three years, “Sentimental Journey” was grounded in a committed, ambitious effort to make it an authentic Flying Fortress — a process requiring the addition of four operational turrets, operational bomb bay doors, navigator and radio operator stations, Norden bomb sight, and machine guns. Additionally, the team planned to restore and repaint the aircraft in combat colors.

Tracking Down More Turrets — In the Most Unlikely Places

According to Seffner, the most difficult task was locating a top turret. In 1981, one was found at

the Bomber Gas Station in Milwaukie, Oregon, where a B-17 had rested on the roof for nearly 40 years. Despite harsh weather and vandalism, the sought-after top turret was still intact.

A deal was struck: the Arizona Wing of the CAF would provide much-needed work for the “The Bomber,” and the gas station owners would donate their authentic top turret to “Sentimental Journey.”

CAF members prepared the parts they would need for the gas station B-17: a new glass nose and fabricated top turret and fiberglass tail. Within 48 hours of arriving at the gas station, they had replaced every piece of glass in the bomber, as well as all three missing doors. A dummy fiberglass top and tail turret were installed. Topping off the work was a pair of simulated .50-caliber machine guns for the chin and tail turrets. “The crew reported that there were no words to describe the owners’ hospitality,” Seffner says.

By August 1982, the top turret — along with the tail turret — was installed on “Sentimental Journey.” Restoration continued for the next three years, mostly outdoors, until ground was broken for a permanent hangar facility in 1985. Soon after, repairs were moved inside. “As the hangar and museum grew, so did the number of aircraft the wing was restoring,” Seffner recalls.

“It’s a Flying Museum”

By 1986, “Sentimental Journey” was making 60 air show appearances a year throughout the U.S. and Canada. Even today, her popularity continues to grow — which translates to more and more maintenance every year.

As the end of each summer air show schedule approaches, “Sentimental Journey” returns to her home at Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona, to undergo general repairs and restoration work. “What many people don't realize is that this is an ongoing project,” Seffner says. And, with 80,000 people touring through the aircraft during the summer months, the amount of work to be accomplished during the winter months “can be staggering,” he adds. Yearly repairs and upkeep projects range from engine changes to aircraft repainting. Aircraft rides are a major source of funding for this work.

Besides “Sentimental Journey,” the CAF will be offering rides at COPPERSTATE on four other WWII aircraft in its fleet next month at COPPERSTATE: a B-25 Mitchell twin-engine bomber; a C-45 twin-engine Beech; an L-16 Grasshopper; and an SNJ two-seat trainer. Flight prices range from just $55 (a fly-in special) to $850 for a guaranteed seat in the nose turret of the B-17.

To secure your spot, call (602) 448-9415 or (480) 322-5503 or visit the Arizona Wing CAF website. Or, stop by the CAF’s gift shop trailer at COPPERSTATE.

ABOUT COPPERSTATE

Since 1971, the COPPERSTATE Fly-In & Aviation Expo has been a great place to see a diverse blend of aircraft in action, attend informative workshops and check out the latest, greatest aviation products. In its 39^th year, this year’s fly-in — scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 20, 2011 - Sat., Oct. 22, 2011 at the Casa Grande Municipal Airport in Casa Grande, Ariz. — promises to be no exception. Complete details are available at the official COPPERSTATE website.  

Contact:RaeAnn Slaybaugh/COPPERSTATE News & Media Chairman/ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. /602.427.8515

From 1959-1977, “Sentimental Journey” flew as a slurry bomber (shown). (Photo provided by Rick Senffer)