Roads? The history we’re headed to doesn’t require…roads.

Tyler Ryan takes a ride into history on a legendary bomber - with the Liberty Foundation - and so can you!

During the second World War, the skies over Europe were a battle field, as fighters, transports, and bombers filled the blue yonder, as aviation truly came into its warfare stride.

Among the legendary bomber series, which included the B52 and the B24, was the Flying Fortress, the Boeing B17.  With a 103 foot wingspan, four 1200 HP engines, and 13 guns, the 17 was produced between 1935 and 1945 and supplied to several allies in the war.

The B17 carried a crew of ten, and in addition to the machine guns, could carry a payload of nearly 8,000 tons of bombs.  

The bomber squadrons, often filled with mere teenagers who had selected the exciting world of aviation when they were drafted, carried out daily bombing missions.

“A lot of guys opted for the Army Air Corps,” says Jon Eabs, Chief Mechanic for the Madras Maiden.  “They thought it would be the safer way to go, but they quickly learned they had better odds in the infantry.”  Eabs points out that as a member of a bomber crew during WWII, there was a “1 in 5 chance you would make it back.”

The crews of brave soldiers were all flying to reach the magic number of 25 missions, when they would be eligible to go home, however, with over 40,000 crew members lost in the air, it was nearly statistically impossible to for a crew to survive that many trips into skies over Germany.

Production of the B17 stopped shortly after the end of the war in 1945, however, the workhorse served in various capacities for many years.

Although there were thousands of 17’s produced, there are only about 100 remaining, most of which are not airworthy, serving as a collectors item or in a museum.

Eabs says that there are only 12 B17’s that are still airworthy.  One of which is the Madras Maiden.  The Maiden is owned and operated by the Liberty Foundation, which utilize this authentic plane as a way to teach and honor the heroes who once flew in them.

The Liberty Foundation will be offering the opportunity for a ride in the Madras Maiden on Sunday, September 24, at Owens Field in Columbia.

You can learn more about the mission of the Liberty Foundation, and schedule your own ride into history HERE.