This summer, take flight in a B-17 Bomber

Ever wanted to take flight in a World War II-era B-17 Bomber? Now you can.

Later this month, Springfield-Branson National Airport will be host tours of a fully restored historic plane known as Sentimental Journey.

Owned by the Commemorative Air Force’s Arizona airbase, the plane will fly into the Queen City June 21-26 for the nonprofit organization’s Flying Legends of Victory Tour.

“It amazes me how broad the interest is in this aircraft,” Springfield airport spokesman Kent Boyd said, pointing to social media buzz following the announcement. “It seems to be one of those things, at least to an American, that has a universal appeal.”

Boyd said CAF approached the local airport about including it on a tour of some 40 communities.

Prices to ride in Sentimental Journey range from $425 for the radio room or waist gunners areas to $850 for the nose section, according to AZCAF.com. A suggested donation of $5 gets you in for a look at the plane on the ground, Boyd said.

During World War II, Sentimental Journey flew missions in the Pacific theater. It was later used for training, testing and at-sea rescue missions and eventually sold as surplus. The CAF bought the plane in 1978 and donated it to the Arizona unit, where it was restored, according to a news release.

Sentimental Journey is one of 10 airworthy B-17 Bombers that still exist out of the more than 12,000 manufactured for combat during World War II, according to the CAF. The Arizona airbase is one of 80 worldwide units of Dallas, Texas-based CAF.