San Diego

Historic WWII Bomber Visits San Diego

The B-17 "Madras Maiden" offers weekend tours and flights

If you look up into the sky this week you may catch a glimpse of a rare visitor roaring above the East County.

The “Madras Maiden”, a Boeing B-17 bomber, arrived at Gillespie Field in El Cajon Monday as part of a national tour.

Not only will World War II history buffs be able to see the flying fortress up close, but people can also pay for the rare opportunity to fly inside it. The Madras Maiden is one of only 12 B-17 bombers still flying.

The United States relied heavily on the 12,700 B-17s produced during World War II for missions deep into European territory.

[G]Photos: The Madras Maiden, a World War II-Era Boeing B-17 Bomber

More than one third of the bombers were lost in combat.

The Madras Maiden was build towards the end of the war and never saw any combat, according to information distributed by the Liberty Foundation, which took over operation of the aircraft in 2016.

Today, the B-17 allows people all over America to travel back in time with flights aboard the historic bomber.

Flights are available on Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23.

For more information on tickets you can click here.

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