Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress at East Alton, IL and will be on display at the St. Louis Regional Airport

Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at East Alton, IL and will be on display at the St. Louis Regional Airport

WHAT:  The most fully restored B-17 Flying Fortress SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY a World War II vintage bomber airplane will fly into St. Louis Regional Airport, offering the public an up-close and personal look at this unique piece of aviation history.  The public is invited to tour this airplane–inside and out. A $5.00 donation is requested to tour through the plane. There’s even the opportunity for some lucky individuals to actually take a flight in SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY and experience this rare aircraft first-hand. Flight opportunities on SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY is $450 - per person tax-deductible with a minimum of 5 persons per flight. The flight will average 45 minutes. Minimum age of passengers is 18 years. For more information and to make reservations call 602-448-9415. Only a handful of these rare birds remain in the world today and most of them are on static display in museums. 

WHERE: The aircraft will be on display at St. Louis Regional Airport and will be parked on the Main Ramp North of the Tower.   

WHEN:  SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY will arrive at St. Louis Regional Airport at 12:00 noon Tuesday, June 13, and will be on display at St. Louis Regional Airport until the aircraft departs Tuesday morning June 20.

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY will be displayed and can be toured from 12:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. (or until the crowd thins out), weather permitting on June 13
June 14 through June 19 10 AM to 6 PM (or until the crowd thins out), weather permitting.

WHO: SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY has been restored as a flying museum/memorial by the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force so the public can tour these one of a kind aircraft. All tour proceeds benefit SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY. Members of the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force are volunteers and the Commemorative Air Force is a non-profit organization. 

WHY: SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY is a flying memorial and museum of the men who flew and crewed these airplanes, as well as the men and women who built them more that 50 years ago during and especially to the crews that did not return.  The B-17 Flying Fortress was famous for the daylight bombing raids over Germany during World War II and could sustain such battle damage that the aircraft lived up to its name of the Flying Fortress. Out of 12,731 built there are only about 10 restored and airworthy examples remaining. For the airplane enthusiast, it’s an opportunity to have a museum come to the visitor instead of the traditional other way around. 

The public will not only have the opportunity to look them over from the inside out, but to hear and see them fly.  It’s a unique opportunity for aviation enthusiasts young and old. Aviation gifts will be available for purchase through the PX. See the Arizona Wing CAF website for more information on Sentimental Journey at http://www.arizonawingcaf.com