“She was a Stradivarius of an airplane…”                   Colonel Robert Morgan, pilot of the Memphis Belle

The “Stradivarius” referred to is the Boeing B-17. The Colonel is not the only admirer of the B-17. Valentine Baab became a fan as a young airman stationed in Great Britain where the iconic World War II bombers had been based. At the age of 20, he was proud to serve as a firefighter at the same base that actor Jimmy Stewart had, and from which General Curtis LeMay had commanded the heroic B-17 unit critical to World War II success. Valentine became a life-long World War II buff.  He recently realized a life-long dream of flying in one of the heralded Flying Fortresses.

Valentine and his grandson, Craig, took to the skies as passengers on one of the few remaining B17s. Only thirteen of the planes remain airworthy, so the flight has historical significance as one of rare opportunity. The two built an incredible memory and shared it with nearly a dozen family members along to document the flight. The outing was a special one, but just one of many Valentine and his grandson have shared.