Flying History Lesson Comes To Northeast Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A piece of history is taking flight in Northeast Philadelphia.
When she was 17 years old, Mae Krier worked as a Rosie The Riveter, helping build Boeing B-17 bombers during World War II.
"We were there to win the war, and that was the only purpose," Krier said. "Our men needed the equipment and we made it for them. We made everything, and I'm so proud of the role the women played during WWII."
Mae worked on thousands of those planes, but she never got to step foot inside one.
But on Monday that all changed. Krier, now 91 years old, got to tour a B-17 on display at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport -- and taxi up and down the runway.
"I can't tell you how thrilling it is for me," she said.
Ron Gause is with the The Liberty Foundation, the organization responsible for bringing the B-17 to Philly. He says this upcoming weekend people can tour and fly aboard the aircraft.
"Without us doing this, there are a lot of people who would never have the opportunity to see or hear a B-17," Gause said. "There's one thing to look at it in a museum, there's a different thing when you hear the engines run, you actually see it fly."
KYW's Justin Udo inside the plane. (credit: Justin Udo)
