By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News Gazette William Hermann has been Chevron’s chief economist, and at 92, he’s an honored Golden Gate University professor. But Monday, he returned to a position he held back when he was 20 – seated in the nose of a B-17. Hermann was a lead crew bombardier during World War […]
Liberty Foundation’s Madras Maiden B-17 arrives in Bay Area
By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News Gazette One of the few surviving and flying B-17 bombers that were instrumental in the Allied victory in World War II is now stationed at Hayward Executive Airport, where the public not only can view the plain but also take flights over the Bay Area. The Liberty Foundation’s “Madras […]
Descendant of World War II co-pilot flies aboard B-17
By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News-Gazette William Binzen knew about his father’s accomplishments as a B-17 co-pilot during World War II through the collection of letters and other papers the veteran assembled as a legacy for his children. But Binzen will never read those letters the same way again. For about a quarter hour Thursday […]
B-17 flights available today on historic ‘Flying Fortress’ in Concord
By Donna Beth Weilenman Martinez News-Gazette Whether the “Aluminum Overcast” is on the ground or taking to the air, the silvery body of the mighty “Flying Fortress” lets observers see how the warbird got its name. One of only 13 surviving B-17s that are still flying, the Aluminum Overcast, operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association […]