A B-17 aircraft from the World War II era has landed in Benton for an event that is part of a nationwide tour.
The non-profit Liberty Foundation has been taking a B-17 Flying Fortress and a P-51 Mustang on “A Higher Call Tour,” and the plane arrived in Benton on Monday after a stop in Colorado Springs.
The B-17 is named “Ye Old Pub” in tribute to another B-17 that was badly damaged on a bombing mission over Germany. The plane was encountered by a German pilot, who decided to escort the plane back to safety instead of shooting it down.
The planes will be available for flights from 9:30 a.m to around 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, August 10th and 11th. The cost to ride the B-17 is $475 per passenger for a 30-minute flight experience. The P-51 flights are available for $1,195 for a 10-minute flight or $1,995 for a 20-minute flight. Pilot John Shuttleworth, who flew the B-17 into Benton, said the proceeds go to maintenance and operation of the aircraft.
There will be ground tours of the aircraft in between flights and after 4 p.m. and the cost is simply a donation to the Liberty Foundation.
