I caught a few seconds of video on the news last night of a B-17 being welcomed to Ogden. “Odd,” I thought, “the Aluminum Overcast isn’t supposed to be here until the weekend.” I figured I must’ve misinterpreted what I was seeing and paid it no further mind.

This morning, however, I got an e-mail from my fellow warbird enthusiast Dave. Apparently, the bird on the news last night is a different B-17 called the Sentimental Journey. A little googling reveals that this B-17, which is supposed to be the most fully restored example around, is owned and operated by the Arizona Wing of the Confederate Air Force, a nation-wide volunteer group dedicated to preserving old planes in their flyable condition. It’s on display right now at the Ogden-Hinckley Airport and will be open to the public, 9:00 AM to 8 PM, through Thursday. The plane will depart on Friday morning, the same day the EAA‘s B-17, Aluminum Overcast, arrives. As Dave said in his message to me, “This could be a terrific opportunity to see not one, but two B-17s within the same week!”

(If the timing works out right, they might both be on the ground at the same time, a spectacle rarely seen since the ’40s.)

The CAF requests a $5.00 donation to tour the Sentimental Journey, and flight opportunities are available. Once again, I can’t stress how amazing that experience is; if you have the extra cash, by all means, take a ride aboard one of these historic planes. You won’t regret it.

You can learn more about the Sentimental Journey here, and don’t forget that the Aluminum Overcast will be at the same airport this weekend.