B-17 sparks attention, memories
The B-17 Flying Fortress banked over Hayden, its four engines thrumming in the cornflower blue sky, and came in low over Coeur d’Alene Airport. Nestled in the heart of its silver body lay a payload of memories and history.
The bomber, named Sentimental Journey and complete with 13 .50-caliber machine guns and a Betty Grable pinup for nose art, is owned by the Commemorative Air Force and part of an annual tour.
“It’s keeping history alive,” said load master Cory MacCosham. “And we’re getting a lot of interest from the kids.”
One of those kids was 5-year-old Jax Lourain, of Hayden. As soon as the bomber powered down its engines, Jax was pointing out the landing gear – the mechanism famously stuck in the movie “The Memphis Bell” – and asking questions about the ball turret in the plane’s belly.
“He saw it flying overhead and went nuts,” said his mother, Colette Lourain. “We went home and he got his $5 from his piggy bank to do the tour.”
Nearly 13,000 B-17s were built during World War II, and the planes were crucial on European and Pacific fronts. The B-17G, Sentimental Journey’s model, was the most popular with 8,600 built. It featured an improved tail turret and a powered turret under the nose.
The plane carried 8,000 pounds of bombs and had a range of 3,750 miles. The four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone engines gave it a top speed of 302 mph and took it to an altitude of 36,400 feet.
For Earl Baker, Sentimental Journey evoked years spent as a flight engineer on a similar bomber, a B-24, in the China-Burma-India theater with the 10th Air Force.
“We flew bombing missions in Burma,” Baker said, a hat from the 7th Bombing Group covering his white hair.
“We took out airfields, bridges, anything we could to slow them down.”
Baker said many people have forgotten what the military accomplished during the war, and he’s happy Sentimental Journey made the stop.
“I just hope they keep doing this,” he said. “If it hadn’t been for what we did, freedom might not be here.”
Founded in 1951, the CAF has more than 11,000 members and branch wings in 26 states.
The all-volunteer nonprofit operates more than 100 World War II-era aircraft, including Allied, German and Japanese planes.