Ike Devastates Galveston Airport, Lone Star Flight Museum

When Hurricane Ike slammed onshore at Galveston, Texas, on September 12, the city's airport took the full brunt of the 16-foot storm surge. At a field elevation of only six feet, the airport was heavily flooded, including the Lone Star Flight Museum, which saw its hangars flooded by up to eight feet of water. Fortunately, the museum's collection of 10 World War II-vintage aircraft were flown out ahead of the storm. They include a North American B-25 medium bomber and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, both of which will be on extended loan to the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) in Midland, Texas. More than 200 aircraft are based at Galveston Airport.