A member of the ground crew shouts instructions to the pilot of one of the vintage World War II planes that are being exhibited at the Coeur d'Alene Airport this week. (Photo: Duane Rasmussen)

As four massive propellers rumbled and the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress waited for takeoff Monday, I pondered the many 19- and 20-year-old boys who fought World War II in planes like this. Sitting there with my seat belt fastened, I didn't know what to expect of the 30-minute trip on a sunny afternoon from the Coeur d'Alene Airport. Boys in those seats all those years earlier faced a perilous unknown aboard B-17s rumbling and waiting for takeoff prior to strategic bombing missions in Europe. What went through their minds as they looked around the plane at the painted green metal interior and their fellow airmen? Was today the day their plane's luck ran out?/David Cole, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Do you have a relative who flew in one of these types of planes during World War II?