B-17 restoration project now halfway done

URBANA, OH — Volunteers working on the B-17 construction project at the Champaign Aviation Museum said they are about halfway done with making the “Champaign Lady” fly.

Bill Albers works on the plane and led a presentation Thursday to update about 40 people from Springfield, Urbana and Columbus about the group’s progress.

“We are not under any time constraints except some of the older guys are in their 70s and want to see it fly before they part with us,” he said. “And I’m probably one of them.”

Albers remembers seeing the B-17 bombers fly over his house on their way to Germany. He grew up in Holland during the German occupation and was five when the war ended. He remembers his mother telling him stories of 1,000 bombers being escorted by 1,000 fighter jets.

“Why I do it is because I was liberated by the Americans you can say, and I feel I’m giving something back to the American society,”Albers said.

Albers said the B-17 has special meaning to him, because it helped save thousands from his home county. The Germans were cutting off food and supplies to Holland and 25,000 people died of starvation. America sent 400 B-17s to drop food all over the Netherlands, which he said saved thousands.