The first of two iconic military planes arrived in Penticton, B.C., Monday morning, soon to be followed by another aircraft later this week.
The B-17 Flying Fortress touched down at Penticton Regional Airport and will be joined by a B-25 Mitchell on Thursday.
“The B-17, it’s a Flying Fortress called Sentimental Journey,” said Commemorative Air Force ground operations coordinator Shirley Sukkel.
“We basically honour and educate and let people know about the sacrifices that were made in those days and the people and the engine and everything about the aircraft. It’s a living museum in your backyard here in Penticton.”
The two planes, from Airbase Arizona Flying Museum, are part of a public exhibition hosted by the Penticton Flying Club.
The aircraft will be made available for tours and a limited number of flights this week. Tickets to take a tour of the planes can be purchased at the gate, while tickets for flights can be purchased on the Commemorative Air Force website.
“The tours are on the ground; you could walk from one end to the other for a slight fee. If you want to pay a little more, we’ll take you up in the air,” said Sukkel.
“Just hit fly with us, pick the destination which is here in Penticton, and then pick your aircraft. It’s a pretty easy system to get you on board if you’d really like to kick that bucket list.”
Penticton is just one stop out of the group’s 16-week tour.
The Commemorative Air Force is a volunteer organization, and members come from all over the United States and Canada, some from as far as England.
“I absolutely love it. My father did 35 missions in the same series of aircraft that I travel with today. So, I can’t possibly tell you the passion and the drive that I have behind it,” said Sukkel.
“In my entire career, I’ve never loved anything or had such an outstanding experience as to just pay my way, volunteer, and come out and show everyone what we’re so passionate about.”
The B-17 was met on the ground by local officials and veterans including Jim DeMarce, Penticton Legion Branch 40 president, who served in Canada.
DeMarce has spent quite some time in the sky as a trained paratrooper and has 754 jumps under his belt.
“It’s really, really something, It’s unbelievable. For the people that work on these and keep them flying since the ’40s, because the war ended in 1945, these planes have been around a long time,” said DeMarce.
“Being here is kind of special and brings back a lot of camaraderie because I did train with the American forces in the southern states and in Alaska, so it’s important to me in that respect.”
Meanwhile, the B-17 is one of only five currently flying in the world. The model was used extensively for operations in Europe between 1941 and 1945, however, this specific plane flew missions in the Pacific.
The B-25 was one of the most versatile aircraft in the Second World War. The plane, which is expected to arrive later this week, flew in Italy and Yugoslavia in 1944.
“We used to have two veterans here in Penticton, that were part of our branch, that actually flew in these during the Second World War,” said DeMarce.
“I was with him, and they had him sign his name in the bomb bay doors, so that’s a little bit of nostalgia for me anyway.”
The community is welcome to tour both the B-17 and B-25 starting Tuesday and the public exhibition will wrap up this weekend with rides.
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