WWII fighter plane pulled from Austrian lake to fly in Idaho

CALDWELL, Idaho – A World War II fighter plane that spent 60 years at the bottom of a lake in Austria has been restored and will be unveiled and flown publicly later this month in southwest Idaho.

The Idaho Press-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2vx70tB) that the P-47 Thunderbolt known as Dottie Mae will fly on Aug. 26 and 27 at the 2017 Warbird Roundup at the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa.

Officials say the aircraft took part in missions during WWII but crashed into Traunsee lake on May 8, 1945, and sank to the bottom as the pilot was rescued.

Workers in 2005 found the wreck 230 feet (70 metres) deep and brought it to the surface.

The plane’s owner shipped it to Vintage Airframes in Caldwell for restoration that started in 2009.

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Information from: Idaho Press-Tribune, http://www.idahopress.com