(CNN) -- Don Price's passion for military airplanes flows through his veins, passed down from his father's stories of piloting Boeing B-17s in World War II. These days, Price restores those planes and, in doing so, rekindles a connection with his father. Restoration is a complicated and expensive process -- Price worked on one plane for five years -- but he says the payoff is worth it. "As a kid, you look at war more romantically. It's good versus bad, like cops and robbers," he said. "But as you get older and you realize what they physically had to go through, the hardships, it changes your perspective."
@highlight
Don Price restores military airplanes as a way to connect with his father
@highlight
Lt. William Price III flew B-17 bombers during World War II
@highlight
Monday, the restored bomber Liberty Belle crashed in Illinois minutes after take-off
@highlight
All seven aboard the plane escaped with minor injuries
"There are so few @placeholder veterans living today, and when we reintroduce this aircraft with those veterans, it brings tears and old memories back into perspective," Thompson said.
@placeholder service members were always recognized for their contributions to freedom, Price said.