Image by Liberty BelleImage by 20090901-b17.jpg

This weekend a B-17 will return to the skies over Charleston.

The World War II-era Liberty Belle will be offering $430 30-minute plane rides on Saturday and Sunday, giving folks a chance to live (or re-live) a bit of American history.

The plane is the namesake of a B-17 that was nearly lost during a disastrous bombing run over Germany in which a 1,000-pound bomb exploded as it was released from the bomber, and destroyed many nearby bombers. 

Local media have been given preview flights. The Post and Courier's Ken Burger has reported back with a nice column on the plane (and how to book a flight), and ABC News 4 has a nice video report.

But if you just want high-quality info, photos, and videos on the plane, hop on over to their Web site.

Of the 12,732 B-17s created, fewer than 100 frames of the aircraft still exist today, and only some 15 can still fly.