A WWII B-17 Bomber is on display at the University Park Airport, and two local veterans got a first hand look.

Dave Borland and Guy McCardle are from Lewistown, Pa.

Both WWII veterans who served in the United States Air Force.

“We’ve  been friends for a lot of years,” Borland said.

But they didn’t meet in the service, instead their paths crossed after the war some time in the 1970s.

On Monday the two met in State College for the Flying Legends of Victory Tour, featuring an iconic plane from WWII, the historic B-17 Bomber “Sentimental Journey.”

“I like to go for a ride and I like to see all the old people, some of them I know, and some I don’t know,” Borland said.

For Borland it’s an opportunity to remember those who sacrificed and teach younger generations about our nation’s history.

“You’ve got to keep it going to let everybody know what was accomplished and what it took to get it accomplished too,” Borland said.

For McCardle, it’s a tangible reminder of serving on the front line.

“We were scared to death to begin with. but you had electrically heated seats, and I had two extra cases of ammunition,” McCardle said. “But when you came out, they were waiting to greet you, the German fighters…But actually, it scared the devil out of you when you had to do it.”

Out of almost 13,000 B-17 bombers produced from 1936-1945, this is one of ten still flying.

Now the Arizona Commemorative Air Force takes the restored combat aircraft nationwide.

And the public gets the opportunity to have a unique and humbling airborne experience.

“I think it’s important that they understand what was involved,” Borland said.

The B-17 Bomber is at the University Park Airport until Sept. 4.

For more information on flights and tours in State College, click here.