More than 70 years after American fighter pilot Bill Overstreet flew the "Berlin Express" P-51B Mustang under the Eiffel Tower and shot down a German aircraft during World War II, the famed aircraft is taking to the skies again, according to a press release from Pursuit Aviation, a company that specializes in aerial cinematography.
A restored "Berlin Express," this time piloted by Lee Lauderback, on Thursday began a historic transatlantic flight from the U.S. to Duxford, England. The "Berlin Express" is expected to complete the four-day, 5,470-mile route — the same route it took as part of the military buildup in the United Kingdom during World War II — on Tuesday.
Once in Duxford, the "Berlin Express" will perform in the Flying Legends airshow on July 8 and 9, according to Pursuit Aviation. The plane also is scheduled to fly alongside Air Combat Command's F-22 aerial demonstration team at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, U.K., on July 15 and 16.
The "Berlin Express" is best known for its epic flight in Paris in 1944, when Overstreet flew the aircraft under the Eiffel Tower in pursuit of a German Messerschmitt Bf 109G fighter. Overstreet eventually downed the German fighter and eluded enemy fire to escape with his aircraft intact, according to Pursuit Aviation.
You can follow the "Berlin Express" on its journey to England through a continuously updated SPOT Gen3 tracking device that will transmit the aircraft's location on a Google Earth map in five-minute intervals.
You also can check out the real-time flight path of the iconic aircraft and photos and videos captured along the way here or on Pursuit Aviation's Instagram page.
