By Catalina Melgoza
Northeast News
Editorial Intern

Lucky members of the media – including Northeast News publisher Michael Bushnell – were granted an opportunity to jump aboard a vintage Boeing B-17 for a flight over Kansas City on Monday, May 21.

The Liberty Foundation brought the “Madras Maiden” Boeing B-17 to Kansas City for Memorial Day weekend as part of the 2018 Salute to Veterans Tour. The B-17 will be on display at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport. Ground tours will be free of charge, and the general public will also be able to purchase tickets for flights on Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27 from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Forty-five minute flights can be purchased for a cost of $450, or $410 for Liberty Foundation members. After 2 p.m. the bomber will be available for ground tours. Those interested in making a reservation for a flight may call  918-340-0243.

Cullen Underwood is a pilot for the Liberty Foundation, which granted media access to the Madras Maiden for the special flight.

“My favorite thing about flying is the veterans,” Underwood said. “The airplane is special to them and that makes it extra special for us.”

The Boeing B-17 “Madras Maiden” was built in 1944 and it is painted with the colors of the 381st bomb group, who used the plane to drop 22,000 tons of bombs over the course of 297 operational missions. Right after it was built, it was accepted under contract by Lockheed-Vega in Burbank, California. It was first assigned to the Flight Test Branch. It was modified to be a “Pathfinder” aircraft. From 1944-1959, the plane was used for development and research in its military career. The “Madras Maiden” is the only B-17 that was converted to a “Pathfinder” that is left in existence.

After the war, and throughout 1959, the plane was used as cargo transport. It hauled fresh produce between Florida and the Caribbean. It was then sold in 1963, and converted to a Fire Ant sprayer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From 1979-2014, the B-17 aircraft was purchased by three different Aviation Museum’s and restored back to the original combat configuration. In 2016, The Liberty Foundation began operating the aircraft.

World War II lasted 46 months and over 300,000 American soldiers died in battle. The Liberty Foundation continues its mission to honor our veterans and educate those current and future generations on the history of the war and high price of freedom. After 73 years, the foundation has been taking the aircraft on tour for others to learn about the history of WWII.

For more information on the visit, visit www.libertyfoundation.org.