Restored World War II bomber to fly Wichita skies

A restored World War II bomber will offer flights over Wichita next month to give passengers a sense of what veterans saw in combat more than 60 years ago.

Public flights and tours are June 1-2, but the B-17 Flying Fortress was expected to draw attention with a scheduled flight over Wichita on Monday.

The bomber is named for the famed Memphis Belle. It was never used in combat but is painted in that plane’s colors and was used in the 1990 feature film “Memphis Belle.”

The plane is owned by the nonprofit Liberty Foundation, which says the aircraft is one of 13 B-17’s still flying.

Public flights cost $450. The foundation says it spends more than $1.5 million annually to keep the plane airworthy and on tour.