The sight of a B-17 once struck fear in the heart of Nazi Germany, but the site of one Friday (6/19) over Great Falls instead drew feelings of amazement and joy.

The aircraft "Sentimental Journey" from the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is on display at Holman Aviation at the Great Falls International Airport until Monday (6/20).

During World War II thousands of the heavy bombers nicknamed the "flying fortress" flew daring missions over Europe and the Pacific, but sadly only about 50 have survived and only a handful are still flying.

"This is the icon of World War II and its the image that everyone thinks of when they think of the air war," said Sentimental Journey pilot Bob Blue.

The aircraft now known as Sentimental Journey was built in 1944 and saw action over the Pacific during the war before finding a career in the postwar era fighting fires. In 1978 the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force began a painstaking effort to restore the plane to her wartime condition and it now travels the country spreading the story of the B-17 crews who endured long flights in tightly cramped spaces while fending off enemy planes and anti-aircraft guns.

"It's a memorial to all those brave men that flew and sacrificed their lives and limbs to make sure that we still have our freedoms today," said Blue.

The sight of the plane was especially touching for Carl Pekkala, a veteran from Grass Range who flew 50 missions in 1943 as a waist gunner on a B-17stationed in North Africa. Pekkala says he fell in love when he first saw the plane as a teenager and despite some close calls during the war the "flying fortress" always brought his crew home safe.

"They could absorb a lot of damage and punishment," said Pekkala. "We took 350 bullet holes in one mission when five German fighters jumped us and they would have shot us down, but they ran out of fuel."

Today Pekkala is the only surviving member of his B-17 crew. As these members of our greatest generation continue to leave us, aircraft enthusiasts say it is even more important now to preserve their stories.

"It's to keep that history alive of not only the airframes, but particularly the people who flew them, the ground crews that supported them, and just that entire generation of folks who have given us the liberty that we enjoy today," said Laz Pallas of the Commemorative Air Force.