By Jamie Mercer

The Observer

A large number of World War II veterans relived history on Oct. 15 with an assortment of spectators who weren’t even born when the war ended in 1945.

The group gathered Thursday afternoon for the opening of the “Salute to Veterans” Tour at the Olive Branch Airport. This year’s featured attraction is the “Aluminum Overcast,” the Experimental Aviation Association’s WWII B-17G Flying Fortress.

EEA chapter 182 is sponsoring the Olive Branch stop on the tour, which runs through Sunday, Oct. 18.

“This is a piece of our aviation heritage,” said pilot Dan Bowlin of Memphis. “We’re on the road about 40 weeks out of the year.

“We made 54 stops last year and we fly thousands of people every year,” the retired Northwest Airlines pilot continued. “We fly about 50 people at every stop.”

The B-17 that’s on display was built on May 10, 1945, and never saw combat. It was used as a mapping airplane in Saudi Arabia and Vietnam, then returned to the United States were it was used as fire ant sprayer.

In 1981, EAA member Dr. Bill Harrison purchased the airplane and donated it to the organization. By 1994 it had been fully restored and has been flying every day since, said Bowlin.

The all-volunteer crew displayed the aircraft in Huntsville, Ala., prior to the stop in Olive Branch. Next on the schedule is El Dorado, Ark.

Flights are available for $385 for EAA members, $425 for non-members. Ground tours are available for $5 per person or $15 for families (adults/children up to age 17). All active military personnel and veterans are admitted free to the ground tour.

For more information or to make flight reservations call 1-800-359-6217 or visit the EAA’s website, www.b17.org.