The Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma, is offering a rare opportunity for flight enthusiasts — a ride aboard a rare B-17G Yankee Lady plane for three days in mid-October.
Rides will be offered for up to 12 passengers for a 35-minute span from Oct. 18 to Oct. 20.
At $495, it’s not cheap, but few could claim to have such an experience, either. Bookings can be made here.
The plane will be parked at the adjacent Stafford airport during that time, and tours will be offered.
Word about the B-17 coming to the museum came from the Oklahoma Route 66 Association’s newsletter:
“We are very pleased to be able to bring this exceptional aircraft to our community,” said Max Ary, director of the Stafford Air and Space Museum. “The Boeing B-17 is one of the most recognized aircraft in aviation history. There may be only ten airworthy Boeing B-17s left in existence, so it is exciting to have an award-winning example visit Weatherford.”
Ary said the B-17 is the type of four-engine heavy bomber that initiated daylight strategic bombing in World War II. Its purpose was to fly high and deep into enemy territory striking high-value targets such as munitions factories, oil refineries and military installations.
According to Ary, 12,731 of these stout aircraft were built between 1936 and 1945. With a crew of ten and defensive armaments of up to 13 fifty-caliber machine guns, the B-17 became known as the Flying Fortress. More than 5,000 were shot down over Europe during the historic air war.
“The Stafford Air and Space Museum stop in our 2021 Honor the Heroes tour is most appropriate,” said Kevin T. Walsh, president and CEO of Yankee Air Museum. “Weatherford is a community rich with heroic World War II history, and the hometown of Astronaut Thomas Stafford, a legendary pioneer in space travel. It is a great privilege to plan a two-day visit here.”
As noted in the article, Weatherford native Stafford is one of 24 NASA astronauts who flew to the moon during the space-race era in the 1960s and ’70s.
The museum contains tons of memorabilia from air and space flights. Visiting it would be a delight for many outer-space geeks.
(Image of the B-17G via the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma)
Very cool! A chunk of money for sure, but a super rare opportunity.