WWII POW Rides In B-17 Bomber After Being Shot Down In 1943

A World War II Prisoner of War hadn’t been on a B-17 Bomber since he was shot down in 1943, but Thursday had the chance to fly in one again at the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington.

Paul Sears was a crew member on a B-17 flying over Germany when it was hit on October 8, 1943.

Sears parachuted to the ground, where he was captured and became a POW for 19 months.

Thursday, he climbed back into a B-17 for the first time since that fateful day.

Sears said the biggest difference today compared to 1943 was the fact that nobody was shooting at the B-17. He called it a pleasure ride.

“I can’t move through the B-17 as well as I used to,” Sears said. “But it’s still a thrill to see inside of one… and it brings back a lot of memories.”

The B-17 is available for rides through Sunday at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky. For more information, click here.