Golf tournament shoots down a B-17’s visit
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There's some irony -- somewhere -- in the inability of a World War II bomber to land at the Anoka-Blaine airport on the Fourth of July because of a nearby golf tournament.
Aluminum Overcast, the B-17 bomber operated by the Oshkosh-based Experimental Aircraft Association, was supposed to drop into the airport on Independence Day as part of a holiday celebration.
But the 3M Open, a PGA tour stop, begins the same day at the TPC Twin Cities golf course, a private club in nearby Blaine.
As with most major sporting events, it's anticipated the Federal Aviation Administration would restrict airplanes near the site of the event.
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The local EAA chapter posted on its Facebook page this week that city and federal authorities have turned the plane away because of security concerns.
Good enough to liberate Europe; not good enough to fly around Anoka County.
https://www.facebook.com/EAA237/posts/2378040908885753
Instead, the B-17 will land in downtown St. Paul, where it will be on display, provide rides, and not be a threat to people who play or watch golf.
St. Paul will also be the first stop on a nationwide tour for the EAA’s newly restored B-25, as a tribute to EAA Chapter 237 that contributed thousands of volunteer hours to the project, according to EAA spokesman Dick Knapinski.
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