Greyson Howard/Sierra Sun
The World War II B-17 bomber named "Aluminum Overcast" sat under a steely sky Monday morning at Truckee Tahoe Airport.
The shiny metal skin stretched around a sparse interior containing only the necessities of a warplane " a bomb bay, a cockpit, a radio room, and machine guns bristling from every aspect of the streamline exterior.
"The B-17 won the war," said Harry VanDelinder, a Incline Village veteran who flew B-17s out of England during World War II. "If the Germans had them we wouldn't be here or we'd be speaking German."
Joe Scarpulla, also of Incline Village and a fellow veteran B-17 pilot, said in those days, the crews on board were really just boys, 18 and 19 years old, flying eight to 10 hours at a time over 20,000 feet in the air, while being shot at by German fighters.
But as the Aluminum Overcast rolled down the Truckee Runway and took to the cold sky above Tahoe Monday, the plane was filled with veterans and airplane enthusiasts excited for an unforgettable ride.
The engines spun up to a deafening roar bringing the old war bird to life. Soon the trees were whipping by, visible through the gaps between the bomb bay doors.
And then Lake Tahoe came over the horizon " a once-in-a-lifetime view through the cockpit of a flying piece of history.
To view a slideshow go to: www.sierrasun.com/article/20090505/NEWS/905059984/1051