The B-17 Flying Fortress called “Sentimental Journey” will make a return visit to the Santa Maria Public Airport early this week.
The flying museum is set to land around noon Monday and remain in Santa Maria until Wednesday. It will be parked on the ramp behind the Santa Maria Radisson Hotel at the airport.
The World War II-era bomber — a B-17G — belongs to the Confederate Air Force’s Arizona Wing Aviation Museum located in Mesa, Ariz.
The bomber’s visit is hosted by the Santa Maria Museum of Flight.
Sentimental Journey is the most fully restored B-17 flying today, officials said.
It has made similar stops in the past, last visiting Santa Maria in September 2009 and May 2007.
Approximately five B-17 Flying Fortresses are still flying in the world. The plane is coming from a stint in El Cajon in San Diego County. After Santa Maria, Sentimental Journey will head to Marysville, north of Sacramento.
During its stay, the plane will provide flights and tours. The price for a flights is $425 per person. A small donation is requested for interior tours.
The plane tours each summer as a way “to honor all veterans, past and present,” officials said, adding the visits to various communities “celebrate our heritage of freedom through flight, education, exhibition and remembrance.”
For reservations, contact 602-448-1499 or visit the bomber on site.
June 03, 2012