Vintage Aircraft Weekend May 14th - 16th
Birmingham, AL- April 12, 2021: The Southern Museum of Flight, along with the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Gulf Coast Wing and the Flagship Detroit Foundation is bringing Living History to Birmingham! One of the most strategic and iconic aircraft of WWII, the B-17 Flying Fortress, and one of the earliest airline passenger aircraft, the Douglas DC-3, Flagship Detroit as well as two other vintage warbirds, will be roaring into the Birmingham International Airport, on
Friday, May 14th through Sunday, May 16th.
The B-17 Flying Fortress Texas Raiders, one of only five remaining actively flying today, was the first Flying Fortress to be restored solely for a flying museum. Developed as a strategic bomber, the B-17 was legendary for its ability to sustain heavy damage in battle and bolstered by its self-sufficient firepower, were most often used for daytime raids over Germany and used in every theater of the war.
The Douglas DC-3, Flagship Detroit, is the oldest DC-3 in the world that is still flying and has the distinction of carrying Eleanor Roosevelt on several occasions. She always sat in the same seat (the rear seat on the right side, just forward of the entry door) because, it has been said, she always wanted to be the last person boarded and the first person deplaned. The Flagship Detroit is a flying tribute to the airplane that made passenger air travel a viable form of public
transportation and the significant part the Douglas DC-3 played during the early years of airline travel.
Included in this visit are the popular SNJ / T6 Texan advanced trainer, famous for training fighter and bomber pilots as well as the twin engine Navy JRB transport Little Raider, one of the world's most widely used light aircraft.
The public is invited to enjoy on-board tours and warbird flights with the aircraft crews two blocks from the Southern
Museum of Flight at the Atlantic Aviation Gate located at 43rd Ave. N. and 66th St. N., Birmingham AL 35206. Gate admission and cockpit tours to the event is $15 per adult, $10 for children under 12, and $25 for a family of up to 5 and includes admission to the museum plus access to all the aircraft for cockpit tours. Warbird flights start as low as $100 on the Navy transport, $380 for the advanced trainer and seats on the B-17 start at $475. Ground tours will be conducted from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Friday and 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday, excluding flying times. Those who wish to fly the warbirds can call 855-FLY-A-B17 (1-855-359-2217) or reserve online at B17TexasRaiders.org or see more
on Facebook.com/B17TexasRaiders.
To provide the safest possible environment for crews and attendees, extra sanitization procedures will be in place, as well as social distancing. Face coverings are required for aircraft access. For more information, Please visit
www.SouthernMuseumofFlight.org, www.commemorativeairforce.org or www.FlagshipDetroit.org