EAA B-17 Aluminium Overcast Tour 2022

By James | Last updated August 23, 2023

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The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) occasionally bring their beautifully restored World War II Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress named “Aluminium Overcast” to a number of Florida airfields as part of their B-17 Aluminium Overcast Tour.

They also sometimes tour with a Ford Tri-Motor either on its own or accompanying the B-17. One of the Ford Tri-Motors toured Florida in 2020 and the EAA B-17 tour schedule included Florida in 2021.

Two other warbird organisations regularly schedule tours of Florida during the Spring months; namely the Collings Foundation with their Wings of Freedom Tour and the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) with their [AirPower History Tour].

The Aluminium Overcast tour is currently on hiatus whilst the plane undergoes maintenance but one of the Ford Tri-Motors will tour in 2022

In 2021 the EAA B-17 flew into a number of Florida regional airports and in previous years ground tours were $10 for adults and children over the age of 7. Children under 8 were free as were military personnel, past and present. Families with children up to the age of 17 could buy a family ticket for $20.

In 2021 the EAA did not offer ground walk through tours but they still offered flights in the B-17.

You could get some idea of what it was like to fly in this amazing aircraft with half hour flights being available in the aircraft.

For the B-17, advance purchase flight tickets were $409 for EAA members and $449 for non-members. Non members got a free one year Warbirds membership with their ticket.

Walk-up prices were $435 and $475 respectively.

EAA B-17 Aluminium Overcast Tour Schedule (Florida Locations) 2021

The B-17 Flying Fortress attended all the Florida destinations listed below.

Tour schedule/locations for 2021 were:

Dates	Location
March 26 to 28, 2021	Lake City Gateway Airport
April 6 to 7, 2021	Lakeland Linder Regional Airport
April 9 to 11, 2021	Punta Gorda Airport
April 23 to 25, 2021	Vero Beach Municipal Airport
May 14 to 16, 2021	Ocala International Airport

History of the Experimental Aircraft Association & the B-17

The Experimental Aircraft Association was originally founded in 1953 to support and promote recreational sports flying. Today it has over 180,000 members worldwide.

The biggest event of the year is the annual EAA AirVenture at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Over 500,000 people attend with over 10,000 aircraft flying in to the airfield over the week long event.

The B-17 “Aluminium Overcast” was delivered to the United States Army Air Corps in 1945 as a B-17G-105-VE with the serial number 44–85740 but was too late to serve in the war.

The EAA Aviation Foundation first acquired it when it was donated to them in 1979 and it was displayed in their air museum at Oshkosh in Wisconsin for over 10 years. It undertook a complete restoration and starting to make national tours with the EAA in 1994.

It is painted in the markings of 42–102516 from the 601st Bomb Squadron, 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) which was stationed at RAF Nuthamstead in Hertfordshire, England.

When not on tour it is housed in the EAA’s Kermit Weeks Hangar at Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh.