The B-17 was last in Medicine Hat in 2017. (CHAT News File Photo)

By Chris Brown

Tours and rides: B-17 bomber plane in Medicine Hat next week

Jun 23, 2023 | 2:37 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A piece of Second World War history will land in Medicine Hat next week.

The B-17 Flying Fortress named Sentimental Journey is a high-flying long-range bomber that was built in 1944. It’s said to be one of only 10 B-17s still flying out of the 13,000 that were produced between 1936 and 1945.

The plane was a popular attraction in Medicine Hat in 2017 and organizers had to book an extra day of flights to accommodate the demand for rides.

This year, tours of the plane will be available from Tuesday to Thursday, and rides from Friday to Sunday.

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Robbie Watson, president of Medicine Hat Family, Fun and Flight which is hosting the bomber, says there’s already been a lot of interest in rides, including from people whose family members flew in them during the war.

“I guess just give people that view of what those soldiers had back in the World War Two days,” he says. “I’ve been inside of it before. It looks big on the outside but fairly cramped on the inside. It would have been cold, noisy. Maybe not the best conditions to be sitting in that’s for sure.”

Sentimental Journey spends most of its time at the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona. It’s coming to Medicine Hat on the Flying Legends of Victory Tour that will make a handful of other stops in Alberta and B.C. this summer.

The Medicine Hat stop was arranged with the help of the City of Medicine Hat, the local airport authority, COPA Flight 171 and local aviators, says Watson.

For more on the B-17 bomber and the Medicine Hat event visit the Family, Fun and Flight Facebook page.