Passengers in EAA’s B-17 get a front row seat to history as they take turns in the nose. A mock-up .50-caliber machine gun hangs from a canvas strap at the left. Photo by Fred Johnsen

EAA’s B-17 Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast flies proudly overhead during EAA AirVenture, giving memorable flights to visitors who can board the bomber in 2007 and be whisked back to 1945. There’s no arguing the icon stature enjoyed by the famed B-17 of World War II. It is a revered relic of a moment in time when armadas of bombers flew stoically into harm’s way in a war that American airpower did much to win.

Mary Liebhauser of EAA’s Membership Services says up to 10 people, in addition to the crew, can be carried in the B-17 for 25-minute flights over central Wisconsin. EAA members pay $385 for the thrill; non-members pay $425, which covers the cost of making them members, too, Mary explains. All rides need advance reservations, which can be made with Mary in the North Tent of the EAA Membership Village near AeroShell Square, or by visiting the trailer near the Ford Tri-Motor ride next to the Warbirds area. A quick call to B-17 operations at 920-371-2246 can determine what flights still have seats available this week.

Each group of 10 Fortress fliers is taken by van to the airport at Appleton where the B-17 rides begin and end. During takeoff and landing, passengers are required to be strapped into seats in the aft fuselage. Once airborne, fliers may explore some of the crew positions in the bomber, although the pilot’s and copilot’s seats are off limits, as is the tail gunner’s enclosure, way back behind the tailwheel well. But the Plexiglas nose has the best view in the plane, and is sure to evoke images of nail-biting bomb runs over Europe more than 60 years distant.

As AirVenture progresses, the available seats aboard the B-17 may fill up. Those wanting to ride in the B-17 should plan to do so sooner, not later. Mary says some fliers have saved up for this event, and made deliberate plans, while others do it on a lark, caught up in the magic of the moment. She can tell the distinctive sound of the B-17’s four Wright Cyclone engines, and when she hears it overhead, the power of suggestion often sends a new customer her way.

Mary’s seen veterans come for one more mission. There’s a healing effect for some, who touch the aluminum skin of the old bomber and experience a rush of unexpected emotions, pent up since the war.

Nothing can compare to a genuine flight in a restored B-17. This is no flight simulator, no armchair DVD. This is flight aboard a bomber outfitted with the equipment it carried in 1945. The throb of four radial engines sends a confident harmony through the aluminum fuselage as Aluminum Overcast takes the active runway. The din is appreciable as takeoff power is applied.

Once aloft, passengers get the signal to move about the aircraft. The view from the waist windows, past vintage .50-caliber machine gun mounts, reveals verdant Wisconsin masquerading as wartime Europe. An exhilarating surprise is the radio room, with the overhead hatch opened to the rush of the slipstream. Intrepid time travelers may poke their heads high enough to get an unfettered view aft over the Fortress’ expansive tail surfaces, along with an impromptu hairstyling.

Backseat drivers may stand behind the pilots in the cockpit, surveying the semi-circle control yokes and trademark throttle levers of the Flying Fortress. But the ultimate treat is a crawling tour under the flight deck to the nose, where the bombardier did his job. The unobstructed view through the Plexiglas nose is mesmerizing. Here is where the sense of awe and obligation is unmistakable. Young Americans, not born to war, took up the challenge in B-17s like this one more than six decades ago.

The impressions will linger much longer than the brief puff of smoke accompanying the loud chirping of the tires upon landing. Mission accomplished.