A blast from the past flew into Hawkins Field yesterday. A B-17 Flying Fortress and some of its WWII friends were on display. Aviation aficionados could ride in a plane for the measly price of $800. Photographer Rick Guy shot some photos for JJ. Enjoy.
The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority issued the following press release:
The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority (JMAA) is proud to announce the arrival of vintage warbirds to land in Jackson, MS for the Commemorative Air Force “Fly the Fortress & Friends” event, hosted by Atlantic Aviation at the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) on Thursday, May 13.
It’s been over 75 years since the largest air armada the world had ever seen lifted into the skies over Europe, but on Thursday, May 13 history will come alive when three vintage warbirds roar into JAN, led by the most iconic aircraft of WWII: The B-17 Flying Fortress.
Presented by the Commemorative Air Force, the B-17 “Flying Fortress Texas Raiders” is one of only five remaining that are actively flying today. This aircraft was the first Flying Fortress to be restored solely for the sake of education and use as a flying museum and is an accurately restored B-17 featuring period-specific equipment.
“The Jackson Municipal Airport Authority is elated to witness the magic of history in flight,” stated Paul A. Brown, JMAA Chief Executive Officer. “We are grateful that this historic event is being hosted at our airport by our partner, Atlantic Aviation.”
The visiting aircraft will also include the popular SNJ / T6 Texan advanced trainer in which thousands of airmen learned to fly, as well as the twin engine Navy JRB transport Little Raider in which the whole family can fly together.
Participants are invited to enjoy on-board tours and warbird flights with aircraft crews. Admission to the event is $10 per adult, $5 for children under 12, and $20 for a family of up to 5 and includes access to all the aircraft for cockpit tours. Cockpit tours will be conducted from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM on the B-17 Thursday, excluding flying times.
Those who wish to fly can call 855.FLY.AB17 (1.855.359.2217) or reserve online at B17TexasRaiders.org or on Facebook.com/B17TexasRaiders.
24 comments:
Wow an announcement the day after it happened. Excellent!
Nice pics. Just think of the crowd they could have assembled if a) the press release was distributed better, and b) it was on a weekend.
Interesting reading for B-17 fans: "One Way Ticket to Berlin" by John Meurs.
They issued the press release before the event. A couple of the tv stations reported it.
They took me and the Clarion-Ledger off their email distribution list after we reported the Paris trip.
Greatest Generation ever are / were the men that flew these machines.
To second 10:24, and no offense to Marines, but, during the war, the 8th Air Force, Army Air Corps, alone lost more men than the entire Marine Corps lost in all theaters. Yes, Marines lost large percentages in some battles. But 26,000 8th AF men were killed, and 28,000 were POWs.
That's just one air unit out of the AAC, which was a subunit of the Army.
Not comparable to the constant hell and grind of Infantry, but it was hell in heaven for those guys flying into flak and fighter attacks.
Good show by CAF. Love those B17s. I was crossing Manhattan one morning facing west, and glimpsed a 17 and a 24 headed up the Hudson to Rhinebeck I believe. Amazing to think of the sky filled with them over my Dad's head in ground forces.
Soviets lost more people and killed more Germans during Operation Barbarossa than the US/UK vs German casualties and and losses during Operation Overlord.
Never understood why you yanks love to take credit for winning the European campaign when you were so late and did so little, and profited so much from the entire war.
There used to be a few surplus DC-3s sitting near the old terminal that probably flew over France and Germany. In perfect Jackson fashion, they were never cared for and simply rotted.
@10:57 "were so late and did so little" -- Not sure how commentary on B-17s and the 8th Army Air Force, became the catalyst for your diatribe on who won the European Theatre. But, as I recall, the US industrial machine supplied England with materiel long before declaring war, as well as contributing significantly to intelligence operations in both England and Canada. The US also provided materiel to Russia, as their tanks and air craft were mostly WWI vintage, and most of their artillery was pulled by horses. The US also lost more lives than any other single Western European country. The Allies won the war, but if the US hadn't entered, you'd be speaking German.
too bad no one knew about it. Ms loves airshows when they know about them.
@10:57- The Russians paid an unbelievable price in blood and suffering to defeat the Germans, much more than any of the other allies paid (or any nation in history has ever paid). And we as Americans should never forget that. But defeating Germany took all the major allies combined. I have studied the war extensively. While the Red Army ground down the Wehrmacht, Berlin would never have fallen nor Germany been completely conquered without the massive air operations and later land invasions undertaken by the Western Allies.
BFD Kingfish. Why the hell isn’t there a B-29? That aircraft was greatest of the war and remained in service many years till replaced by the B-52. These aircraft are a joke. I’m so goddamn sick of hearing about the B-17 during WW2. Only one aircraft was trusted to drop the two big bombs and that was the B-29 Superfortress. The B-17 was so overrated: undersized and underpowered with limited range and payload. F*ck the B-17 and all of their supporter, they can all go to hell.
@11:52 said ... you'd be speaking German.
Only an ignorant yank would consider this an insult.
1.) English is a Germanic language
2.) Europeans proudly speak multiple languages fluently.
@ 12:43
Only an arrogant and clueless limey would take it literally instead of figuratively.
@1:03
I am Australian, you seppo mutt.
I saw ads for this event weeks ago on Facebook. How exactly do you guys expect to be notified about events, if you don't read the local paper, don't listen to local radio, and don't use social media?
@2:15
Billboards and mail.
Billboards and mail? Sheesh!!! They're trying to raise money, not go broke!
How about you pay more attention to what's going on around you? You might miss fewer things.
The B-17 was a marvelous aircraft. It could take damage and still fly where others would have fallen apart. It had a reputation for bringing its crew home and that goes a long way toward making it the legend it is. That said, both the B-24 and the Avro Landcaster were also instrumental in winning the air war in Europe, (not to mention the B-25, the Mosquito and several fighter bombers that had specific roles to play.) The B-29 came in to late in the war to be used much in the European theater, but it had both the range, and more importantly the altitude, to be the obvious choice to deliver Fat Man and Little Boy. As for the Russian front, while the Russians took tremendous losses in both human life, civilian and soldier, along with thousands of tanks and planes, without the allies help with the Lend lease program then the subsequent invasion at Normandy, Europe, and most likely Russia too, would have eventually had to appease Hitler.
An iconic WWII plane lands in Jackson, and people respond by feeding a troll.
SMH !
Aussie or not (and I think not) this ain't an aviation history blog.
Jeez ... enjoy the B-17 for what it was.
Be glad the CMAF choose to even bring it here.
I only wish that I could afford the cost required to enjoy a short flight in that plane.
Airpower wins the day. All you ground pounders can whine and moan all you want but you know who really brings the pain.
The Confederate Air Force pissed in its whiskey and offended hundreds of thousands when it caved and changed its name. Cancel Culture ahead of its time.
As an aside, if this comment were accurately constructed, the US would be part of Europe at the time? "The US also lost more lives than any other single Western European country."
I can’t imagine being as delusional as all of you people who can look at the current state of the world. and the shit around you (Jackson) and honestly think the good guys won WWII.
The central bankers won WW2, not America.
And no one uses this opportunity to acknowledge that the old WW II planes are brought back to life by what was until recent years the Confederate Air Force. I visited their home base in Texas 30 years ago and met some of their shop staff who were salvaging parts from many deteriorated old planes to assemble an operational model.
And one of my uncles flew out of North Africa to bomb Romania. Originally he was told if he survived 10 missions he would return to the states to be an instructor but that was raised to 15 then 25 and the definition of "mission" was redefined from time to time. He developed a great appreciation for beer while there and saw a friend with a fortune from a poker game in his pocket go down in flames.
" And no one uses this opportunity to acknowledge that the old WW II planes are brought back to life by what was until recent years the Confederate Air Force."
I'll gladly acknowledge that fact.
But what's your point ?
They changed their name waaaaay before melting-down about anything named Confederate was a "thing" ... but ypu are still bashing a group of people that have no political agenda, but only want to historic planes flying ?
Read about the history of this group just a bit deeper sport.
(Before you post another ignorant comment).
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