Liberty Belle -- WWII B-17 Bomber Takes Flight over Atlanta

Douglas, GA February 1st, 2010 – Liberty Belle, the most recently restored World War II
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress “Liberty Belle” will take to the skies over Atlanta on Monday,
February 8th(Media flights February 8th at 1pm, Public flights available February 13-14)
Flight hours are 10am to 5pm.

Our visit to Atlanta is particularly special due to our affiliation with Angel Flight of Georgia. A
portion of all donations received go to helping Angel Flight accomplish their incredible
mission. The Liberty Foundation & Angel Flight of Georgia are both 501(c)3, non-profit
organizations dependent on community support.

The Liberty Foundation’s B-17 “Liberty Belle” is one of only 14 B-17’s that still fly today. The
B-17 dubbed the “Flying Fortress” as a result of her defensive fire power saw action in every
theater of operation during WWII. The majority of all WWII B-17’s were operated by the 8th
Airforce in Europe and participated in countless missions from bases in England deep into
enemy territory. There were 12,732 B-17’s produced between 1935 and 1945, of these 4,735
were lost in combat. Following WWII, the B-17 saw combat in three more wars, B-17’s saw
service in Korea, Israel used them in the war of 1948 and was even used during Vietnam.

“Liberty Belle” was built toward the end of the war and never saw any combat. It is painted in
the colors and nose art of the original “Liberty Belle” B-17 that flew countless missions with
the 390th bomb group of the mighty 8th Airforce.

The Liberty Foundation’s B-17G had an interesting post war history. Sold scrap in 1947 to a
mining company, in short order it was sold again to Pratt & Whitney for the sum of $2,700.00.
Pratt & Whitney operated the B-17 until 1967, in which it was heavily modified test bed for
their T-34 & T-64 turbo prop engines thus making it a five engine B-17. In 1968 the B-17 was
then donated to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic society. Unfortunately, in 1979 the B-
17 was heavily damaged in a tornado that threw another airplane onto the B-17’s mid-section
breaking her back. The wreck was stored until 1987 when acquired by an aviation enthusiast
in Florida with the intent to restore the aircraft. In 1992 the slow laborious task of restoration
began and with the turn of the century saw the B-17 sold again to Don Brooks of the Liberty
Foundation. Mr. Brooks, whose father flew B-17’s with the 390th bomb group during WWII,
founded the Liberty Foundation; a non profit museum dedicated to preserving our aviation
heritage, and funded the complete restoration of the B-17 back to her full wartime
configuration as she appears today. He chose to paint the B-17 as the ‘Liberty Belle” as a
tribute to his father who was a Tail gunner and flew numerous combat missions in the original
Liberty Belle, and all the brave aircrew of WWII. The B-17 following a fourteen year
restoration took to the skies again after 38 years on December 8th 2004.

The “Liberty Belle” provides visitors the opportunity to take a step back in time and gain
respect for the men and women who gave so much to protect our freedoms. At each stop,
flight “missions” are available in the airplane, which allow people to take flights in this historic
aircraft. During flight operations, there will be a designated, secure area for those who would
like to watch the bomber flight at no charge. For enthusiasts that choose to take a flight
experience on this legendary aircraft, these participants receive a pre-flight safety briefing
containing the historical significance of the aircraft and a spectacular scenic air tour around
the city. During the flight, passengers enjoy the unique opportunity of moving about the
aircraft to the different combat crew positions to see the viewpoint that thousands of our
heroes saw in combat over 60 years ago.

World War II was the single greatest challenge to freedom in the 20th Century. Through the
46 months of war, over 300,000 American soldiers, sailors and aviators died defending the
beliefs that they held dear, with many more sacrificing in other ways. These men became our
heroes through their struggles and came home to a grateful nation. Over the half century
since, those heroes became our husbands, uncles, fathers and grandfathers; in many cases
their stories were never shared with their families. Now with the popularity of movies like
“Pearl Harbor” and the Steven Ambrose book “The Wild Blue”, families are seeking to learn
more about our veterans. They realize that these stories of courage and valor need to be
preserved for future generations. Estimates place the number of World War II veterans dying
each day at over 1,500. With each death, another story of courage, honor and sacrifice is lost
forever. This aircraft represents that legacy of courage and valor.”

The total flight experience takes 45 minutes with approximately half hour in flight. Flights
experiences are $395 for Liberty Foundation members and $430 for non-members.
Passengers can become a Liberty Foundation Member for $40 and receive the member
discount for family and friends. While $430 per person sounds expensive, it must be put into
perspective when compared to a B-17’s operating cost. A Flying Fortress cost over $4500
per flight hour and the Liberty Foundation spends over $1,000,000 annually to keep the
Liberty Belle airworthy and out on tour. The Liberty Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit flying
museum and funds generated merely help offset these high cost. Only the public’s interest
and other generous donations keep the Liberty Belle flying and from being silenced
permanently in a museum for years to come. Hopefully, for years to come!

This is your invitation to see, tour and fly a mission in the Liberty Foundation’s B-17 flying
fortress “ Liberty Belle” and take advantage of this ultimate historical experience, come touch
the past and fly through ageless skies.

Liberty Foundation
Media Contact: Scott Maher
(918) 340-0243
smaher@libertyfoundation.org
501(c)(3) non-profit museum