The Texas Raiders have descended upon Austin. No, it's not a football team. It's the codename for a group of B-17 pilots who have brought four renovated World War II-era planes to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport this weekend to celebrate the Fourth of July.
The exhibition of rare planes including the P-51, a C-47 and a B-25. Tours and low-altitude flights over Austin are open to the public all weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.at Atlantic Aviation.
Check out our gallery above for a view from KUT's flight on the "Flying Fortress."
The B-17 is one of the nine remaining air-worthy planes of its kind in the world, and it took eight years, 250,000 man-hours and over $600,000 to refurbish.
Yesterday's flight on the flying fortress marked a long overdue return to the skies for Georgetown resident Ed Olson, who served in World War II as a B-17 pilot, as well as an instructor. It was the 96-year-old's first time flying in the bomber in over 70 years.
