WICHITA, Kan. – March 9, 2016 – The WWII Flying Fortress, Texas Raiders, that rolled off the assembly line in 1945 and has been serving her country for the past 70 years in the military, in civilian aviation, and now as a flying museum for the Commemorative Air Force, will continue its flying season with a visit to Wichita.
The aircraft will be open beginning at 1:00 PM Monday, May 16, through Thursday, May 19. The public is invited to come out to Midwest Corporate Aviation, 3512 N Webb Road, at James Jabara Airport. Those who wish to fly with Texas Raiders are encouraged to call 1-855-FLY-A-B17 (1-855-359-2217) or visit www.B17TexasRaiders.org to reserve online.
The United States built over 12,700 B-17s. Today, fewer than a dozen still fly. CAF B-17 Texas Raiders was the first Flying Fortress to be restored solely for the purpose of education and use as a flying museum, and is one of the most accurately restored B-17’s, bristling with machine guns and featuring period-specific equipment.
She will be joined by two local vintage warbirds: a twin-engine Cessna Bobcat which seats five people and was nicknamed the “Bamboo Bomber” during the war, as well as a Fairchild PT-23, a two-seat trainer that trained thousands of WWII airmen. Wichita is one of three stops on the Midwest tour. Flights on all three aircraft will be available to the public each day while in Wichita.
A cockpit tour hosted by the crew of all three aircraft is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12; flights on the trainer begin at $85. Attendees who want the ultimate warbird experience can make a reservation now for one of the limited number of 25-minute flights on the Flying Fortress, which start at $475.
Connect with B-17 Texas Raiders using #FlytheFortress or find them on Facebook and Twitter @B17TexasRaiders. For more information about the CAF and the Gulf Coast Wing, visit www.B17TexasRaiders.org.
# # #
About Texas Raiders and the Commemorative Air Force
Texas Raiders has been owned since 1967 by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), a non-profit, educational association based in Dallas, Texas. The Flying Fortress now resides at Hooks Airport in Spring, Texas, where maintenance and operations are conducted by a dedicated volunteer crew, the Gulf Coast Wing of the CAF.
About Visit Wichita
Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2015 travel and tourism contributed more than $1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.
