Granted, a bicycle won’t help you here unless you are very brave and perhaps a little warped. But, for a B-17 Guy or Gal, it should be known that there are six, count ’em six, B-17s located within a 125-mile radius in the mecca otherwise known as Southern California. For those reading this in far-off places like London or San Francisco, it might be worth a weekend to come to sunny, more or less, Southern California and enjoy five of the six finer things (B-17s) offered. And as a special bonus (for some special people): if you really enjoy sitting in immovable traffic on a twelve-lane freeway, this is the place for you. That aside, a well-planned weekend will offer any B-17 aficionado a good chance to see a bunch of B-17s in one fell swoop. A fairly quick review of what is available starting from the Pacific Ocean and moving east.
California Air Heritage Foundation (Los Angeles)
Okay, this one is mentioned just because it lies within that 125-mile radius, but you won’t be able to actually see this B-17G, s/n 44-83387, because it is buried deep in an anonymous warehouse. It is slowly being rebuilt for future use as a static display, most likely for Israel to commemorate the three B-17s that the Israeli Air Force used to help maintain independence in wars fought in 1948 and 1956. But it does get honorable mention…this is a long-term project undertaken by Bruce Orriss and his group to assemble an airplane out of the remaining parts of several airframes, but the primary basis is a film studio prop that was a B-17G given by the USAF to 20th Century Fox way back in 1948 for the filming of the classic movie 12 O’Clock High. As a film prop, it subsequently appeared in several movies and TV shows, then abandoned by the studio. Lacking wings and such things, it then went through a torturous path but ended up in the hands of Bruce Orriss. Soon enough will emerge as a static display. But, sadly, you can’t drive up the 405 to see this one. Patience is called for here.
(Note the protocol used here…in L.A., you must precede freeway names and numbers with “the” as in “the 405” so you will sound like the locals; otherwise you might be thought a doofus.)
Lyon Air Museum (Santa Ana)
So, even if you hopelessly searched for a warehouse somewhere in Los Angeles with a B-17, you can still drive down the 405 to actually see a B-17G and the respectable aircraft collection that surrounds it. Located on the western edge of Orange County Airport (for some, it is sadly called John Wayne Airport) is the Lyon Air Museum. It’s a bit of challenge to find on the airport but nonetheless worth the effort. Located here is B-17G s/n 44-83563 (N9563Z), better known as Fuddy Duddy.
Fuddy Duddy has a long and involved history through both military and civil utilization. Its USAF service consisted primarily of use as a VB-17G carrying the likes of Ike and others. After being sold as surplus in 1959, its initial use was in the film The War Lover in 1961, along with two surplus Navy B-17s. Afterwards, it was used as an air tanker for decades and appeared in Tora Tora Tora in 1969. After retirement as an air tanker, it was eventually purchased by Gen. Bill Lyon and added to his museum collection. Its markings replicate a B-17G from the 447th Bomb Group, s/n 42-97400. N9563Z is on static display in near airworthy condition. It has not flown in many years but it could again if/when the museum directs resources that way. It is a beautiful example of a B-17G.
For particulars, the Lyon Air Museum is open seven days a week, with a few exceptions, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. It will set you back $13 to enter the museum. Besides the B-17G, the museum collection includes an A-26 Invader. a B-25 Mitchell, a C-47, and a DC-3 (there is a difference). For more information, check out the Lyon Air Museum website. Well worth the visit!
Planes of Fame Air Museum (Chino)
From Orange County Airport, you can take the 55 to the 91 to the 71 and end up at the Chino airport. That will take you anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours to drive…it’s not that far except for that 12 lanes of traffic thing. But, I digress, At Chino you will find what started as “The Air Museum” in the late 1950s when pioneer Ed Maloney started collecting airplanes. He collected (actually was lent from the USAF) B-17G 44-83684 (N3713G) in 1959. Ed Maloney started collecting at Claremont, moved to nearby Ontario airport a few years later, and then moved on to Chino a few years after that. For any B-17 Guy or Gal, 44-83684 is familiar as the Piccadilly Lily in the 1964-1967 TV series 12 O’Clock High that was, coincidently, mostly filmed at the Chino Airport. Gen. Savage and Col. Gallagher, etc.
The USAF utilization of 44-83684 was as a DB-17P drone controller until its retirement in August 1959 as the last active USAF manned B-17. It went to The Air Museum the following month and has remained with the museum ever since.
This B-17G greets museum visitors at the entrance so, for those so inclined, you don’t actually have to gain admission to the museum to get a close look at this historic B-17. But, paying the $15 to get into the museum is well worth it. A very large, well-maintained aircraft collection is then gained. If you’re lucky, you might get to see a Mustang or P-40 take to the air as the museum actively flies many of its aircraft hither and yon for airshows and such. You will not see the B-17G fly, however. It last flew in the 1970s. However, Planes of Fame was able to gain legal title to the B-17G as a transfer from the USAF, and it has stated that the B-17 will eventually be restored to flying condition. This is a massive and expensive undertaking, and it is not high on the museum’s priority list, so it won’t be going anywhere for a while. It is currently in a natural metal finish with two sets of markings depending on which side you are looking at: 96th Bomb Group as 42-97158 on the right side and 94th Bomb Group markings as 42-102605 on the left. It carries the name Kismet on the left side of the nose. On many weekends, the airplane is opened up for tours and B-17 veterans and other knowledgeable people are available to show it off.
The Planes of Fame Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays (with a few exceptions) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and, for most people, will set you back $15 for admission. Check out the Planes of Fame website for more details. Well worth the visit!
March Field Air Museum (Riverside)
Moving further east, you can get back on the 91 or jump north to the 60 and head east to the 215 and then head south a few miles until you are in the vicinity of March Air Reserve Base, an historic-in-it-own-right Air Corps/AAF/USAF air base. On the west side of the field, off the air base, is located the March Field Air Museum. This is an old USAF Museum Heritage Museum that is now mostly self-supporting after the NMUSAF got out of the base museum business. But, here you will find B-17G 44-6393 resplendent in markings very similar to what it wore when attached to the 15th Air Force in Italy during the big one.
B-17G 44-6393 was assigned to the 15th Air Force in Italy from August 1944 through the end of the war. Peculiarly, actual records of this B-17G having been assigned to a bomb group or having seen combat have not surfaced. Instead, the record suggests it was assigned for personal transport for Gen. Ira Eaker, commander of the 15th Air Force, so that may have been the extent of its service with the 15th Air Force. After its USAF service ended in 1956, it was sent to Bolivia with seven other B-17s for civil service as a transport. It was one of the “meat haulers” carrying recently slaughtered beef into high-altitude Andean airports. It came back to the U.S. in 1980 in a trade with the USAF Museum and assigned to the March Field Museum. It is currently painted and marked as Starduster as it would have appeared in 15th Air Force service. Obviously, this is a static display; no more flying for Starduster.
The March Field Air Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, with a few exceptions, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is $12 for most people. For more information, go the March Field Air Museum website. Well worth the visit!
Palm Springs Air Museum (Palm Springs)
Get back on the 215 heading north and then the 10 heading east over the San Gorgonio Pass (elevation 2,600′, not to worry) and descend to the lower desert of Palm Springs. At the Palm Springs Airport, north side, is the Palm Springs Air Museum, an oasis in the desert, as it were. This is a large collection originally gathered by the late warbird guy Bob Pond. It currently has available two B-17s on static display, these being B-17G s/n 44-85778 (N3509G), otherwise known as Miss Angela, and B-17G (I know, it looks like an “F”) s/n 44-83546 (N3703G), otherwise known as (The Movie) Memphis Belle.
Miss Angela is the B-17G that has long been displayed at the Palm Springs Air Museum. It has it’s own hangar at the museum, befitting such a nice-looking B-17. 44-85778 served the USAF as a VB-17G and, after 1959, flew as an air tanker as a civil airplane. It was retired in 1981 and went into private hands, eventually being purchased by the late Bob Pond. The Pond estate still technically owns the airplane, which is the main reason it has not flown in many years. An eventual purchase by the museum is planned and then it is expected that Miss Angela will be put back in the air. Meanwhile, it is an excellent example of a B-17G. It wears the colors of the 34th Bomb Group.
The other B-17 on display at the museum is The Movie Memphis Belle. This aircraft came to the museum in November 2021 in an agreement with the airplane’s owner, the Military Aircraft Restoration Corp. that placed it on loan. This B-17G has been extensively modified to resemble a B-17F, down to removing the chin turret skin patch. It has an early version of the Sperry top turret and the tail gun position is the original “stinger” style as seen on B-17Fs. The modifications enabled it to star as one of the movie Memphis Belles in the 1989 movie of the same name. Its paint scheme nearly replicates exactly the scheme of the original famous Memphis Belle (the original being on display at the NMUSAF), though the nose art and style is a modernized version of the original.
This airplane is currently only on static display, but it is undergoing maintenance that will return it to the air in the near future. This B-17 could become a fixture at west coast air shows and events in the coming year or so.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is open seven days a week (with a few exceptions) from10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission is $22 for most people. The museum has a large collection and numerous interesting exhibits spread over five hangars and an outside display area. Plan to spend several hours at the museum beyond the presence of two B-17s. For more information, go to the Palm Springs Air Museum website. Well worth the visit!
Two Other California B-17s Worth Honorable Mention
It should be noted that there are two other B-17s resident in the fine state of California, though these are of the northern variety. Both can be found alongside the 99 running up the central valley. If one has the time and inclination, they are worth the trip to see a total of seven B-17s on this sojourn. The first, from south to north, is B-17G s/n 44-85738 parked alongside Highway 99 in Tulare. (Somewhere in the vicinity of Bakersfield, the 99 becomes Highway 99. No one knows why.) This airplane has been parked here, more or less, since 1958, so it is a well-known landmark. This is also an ex-drone director DB-17P that currently is marked as it was during the 1946 atomic testing undertaken as Operation Crossroads.
The second B-17 is B-17G s/n 43-38635 displayed as Virgin’s Delight at the Castle Air Museum located at Atwater, yet further north on Highway 99. This is a rare Boeing-built B-17G that served primarily as a USAF VB-17G, then segued into the civil fleet as N3702G, serving for two decades as an air tanker flying in California. Now serenely retired to bake in the Central Valley sun as a static display, it is among a large collection of other museum aircraft. It wears the markings of the 94th Bomb Group.
And now, a brief message: details of the histories of all these B-17s, as well as the other 39 surviving B-17s, can be found in Final Cut: The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortess and Survivors. The book is 288 pages jam packed with photos and text about the post-war B-17 in military and civil use, stories on each of the 47 survivors, and individual aircraft histories of all the civil B-17s through the years. Well worth a look but, after all, this is just a informational message.