Visitors to the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II Weekend will have the opportunity to see, and even fly aboard, two rare World War II-era bombers that have traveled to Reading as part of the Airbase Arizona Flying Museum’s 2026 Flying Legends of Victory Tour.
The tour brings the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey and the North American B-25 Mitchell Maid in the Shade to communities across the country, offering ground tours and flight experiences while sharing the stories of the aircraft and the people who flew them during the war.
“This year we’re doing the East Coast,” said Mike Garrett, tour and airshow coordinator for the Commemorative Air Force. “It’s 17 weeks. We started end of April and now we’re in Reading for the World War II Weekend that’s coming up, and happy to be here. It’s been a while since we’ve been here with our planes.”
The aircraft are maintained and operated by volunteers with the Commemorative Air Force’s Airbase Arizona Flying Museum in Mesa, Arizona. Garrett said one of the organization’s primary goals is to educate visitors about the role these aircraft played during World War II and the sacrifices made by the crews who flew them.
“Our favorite part is seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they come see the airplane,” Garrett said. “Just teaching people and educating them on World War II and the great people who flew these planes. That’s my biggest thrill.”
Among the two aircraft, Maid in the Shade carries a particularly unique distinction. The B-25J Mitchell was built in 1944 and served with the 319th Bomb Group, flying 15 combat missions over Italy and Yugoslavia before the end of the war.
“This, as far as we know, is the only true flying veteran B-25 flying,” said Carl Randolph, pilot in command of Maid in the Shade. “This saw 15 missions in the war. Every other B-25 we’ve seen, we’ve done the research on, never left the States, never saw war.”
This week, visitors touring the aircraft can walk through the bomb bay compartment, where signatures from World War II veterans and others connected to the airplane have been preserved.
Randolph pointed out three signatures from members of the famed Doolittle Raiders, including Lt. Col. Richard “Dick” Cole, who served as co-pilot to Lt. Col. James Doolittle during the historic 1942 raid on Tokyo and was the last surviving Raider when he died in 2019 at age 103.
The compartment also contains the signature of Sgt. Bryant, a tail gunner who served aboard Maid in the Shade during the war, as well as Betty Wall Strohfus, a former “Rosie the Riveter” who helped build B-25 bombers in Kansas City. Randolph said Strohfus helped build aircraft like Maid in the Shade and was invited to sign the bomb bay compartment because of her connection to the plane’s wartime production.
Randolph also recounted a recent encounter during the tour when a visitor recognized the name of one of the aircraft’s wartime pilots. While speaking with guests in the bomb bay compartment during a stop in Birmingham, Alabama, a woman noticed the signature and told crew members it belonged to her father’s best friend, who had served in Corsica during the war.
For Randolph, flying the aircraft offers a direct connection to aviation history.
“It is a dream come true for a person that loves flying airplanes,” Randolph said. “Flying World War II aircraft that don’t have an autopilot, don’t have pressurization, no heater, no air conditioning, but it’s true seat-of-the-pants flying. Cables and pulleys, it’s what every true pilot dreams about.”
Randolph, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot and former Air Force instructor, serves as pilot in command of Maid in the Shade. He described the aircraft as one of the most versatile bombers of the war.
Built in Kansas City in 1944, the twin-engine aircraft was powered by two 14-cylinder radial engines producing roughly 1,700 horsepower each. Originally designed as a medium-range bomber for attacks on targets such as bridges, railroads and dams, later versions of the B-25 became heavily armed strafing aircraft capable of carrying numerous .50-caliber machine guns.
“Very fast, very maneuverable, almost as fast as some of the fighters that were trying to shoot it down,” Randolph said.
The companion aircraft, Sentimental Journey, is one of only four flying B-17 Flying Fortresses remaining in the world. More than 12,700 B-17s were built during World War II, serving primarily in strategic bombing campaigns over Europe.
Garrett said the B-17 remains especially popular with visitors because of its connection to the Eighth Air Force and the stories of the crews who flew bombing missions over occupied Europe.
During their stop in Reading, visitors can tour both aircraft and purchase seats for flight experiences aboard the bombers. Garrett said the aircraft provide a rare opportunity to experience living history firsthand.
“People can come out and get tours of the planes,” he said. “You can go through both planes.”
The Flying Legends of Victory Tour is part of the Commemorative Air Force’s mission to educate, inspire and honor through the preservation and operation of historic military aircraft. The organization hopes visitors leave with a greater appreciation for the men and women who contributed to the war effort, whether in the air or on the ground.
“These airplanes are a rarity that show up in your community,” Randolph said. “We want to remind people of the sacrifices made by our World War II veterans. That’s what we’re here for.”
How to see the aircraft before WWII Weekend
Visitors do not have to wait until the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s World War II Weekend begins to see the aircraft. The B-17 Sentimental Journey and B-25 Maid in the Shade are open for public ground tours Tuesday through Thursday, June 2-4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The aircraft are located at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum, 110 Air Museum Drive, on the Reading Regional Airport property. Admission is $15 per person or $30 for a family of four.
The aircraft will remain on display during World War II Weekend, June 5-7, and participate in the airshow. Ground tours of the aircraft are available for $5 per person during the event; however, World War II Weekend admission is required and sold separately.
Flight experiences aboard both aircraft will be available Friday through Sunday. Ride pricing and additional information are available at: azcaf.org/location/reading-pa-tour-stop/
