SMYRNA, Tenn. -
Several dads were able to go up for a ride in a vintage Memphis Belle in Rutherford County Sunday.
Though it was not the original, the replica 1945 Boeing B17 Bomber aircraft, gave people the opportunity to live in the past and realize the sacrifices World War II veterans made by taking flight tours in Smyrna.
Scott Maher with the Liberty Foundation files the plane every weekend.
He told Nashville's News 2 the aircraft is simple to fly.
"Very simple layout, very simple systems, [it's] really an easy airplane to fly," he said, adding, "[It's] big and heavy, kind of like flying a dump truck."
Maher said the navigator and the bombardier would sit in the nose of the aircraft and fire two .52 Caliber machine guns.
Two waist gunners defended the plane with two .50 Caliber machine guns containing 2,000 rounds of ammo.
The gunner would sit in the middle section of the airplane in the underbelly, the most vulnerable position during combat.
This Boeing B17 was used in the 1990s movie Memphis Belle.
The Liberty Foundation started a 50-city tour with the aircraft.
The tour began in Nashville on Father's Day and continues through Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio over the next couple weeks.
The Memphis Belle provides flight tours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day with ground tours following the day flights.
For details, visits LibertyFoundation.org.
