The Art Lacey B-17 that made a Milwaukie, Oregon, gas station a well-known local attraction has been well documented since 1947. That B-17G is currently the subject of a long-term restoration by the B-17 Alliance Foundation at Salem, Oregon. And, many photos have depicted its condition through the seven decades the bomber was displayed above The Bomber Gas alongside SE McLoughlin Blvd in Milwaukie, a suburb of Portland. Now, surprisingly, a photo has surfaced of the B-17 in the spring of 1947, prior to it being moved from the Troutdale Airport overland to the gas station.

The photo depicts a stock B-17G in factory-fresh condition, complete with turrets but lacking guns. This would be the state of such aircraft as sold by the War Assets Administration. This photo was available on an eBay sale, unidentified and uncredited. Aviation historian Nick Veronico was able to purchase the photo, and a close look revealed, almost without question, that it depicts Art Lacey’s B-17G, 44-85790, on the ground at the Troutdale airport sometime after March 10, 1947, and late June1947 when it was disassembled and moved.

Clues to the Identity of B-17G 44-85790 in the Photo

The main clue to its identity is the three digit repeat of its AAF serial number, “790,” on the nose, difficult to pick up without a close examination of the photo. Lockheed added this marking to its later B-17G production from Burbank, California, and this can be verified by any number of photos of these aircraft in AAF service.

Also of interest to those who find such things interesting, the bars of the fuselage national insignia have been painted over in dark paint, but the roundel with star is left untouched. This is not typical of Altus surplus B-17s, as either the markings were completely painted over or left untouched by those placing the airplane in storage for the War Assets Administration.

However, it is interesting to note that this unusual painting matches an early photo of 44-84790 after it was relocated to The Bomber gas station in Milwaukie. I realize we are getting down into the weeds on identifying the photo, but I am presuming it is of interest to some out there who find it interesting to see such things.

A Brief History of Art Lacey’s B-17G, 44-85790

Briefly, then…44-85790 was delivered from the Lockheed (Vega) Burbank plant on June 13, 1945. Too late for the war effort, it was ferried about the country, ending up in storage at Independence, Kansas. In October 1945, it was declared excess and sent for disposal with the Reconstruction Finance Corp, later WAA, at Altus, Oklahoma. It sat there until March 5, 1947, when it was purchased for exhibition by gas station owner Art Lacey for the princely sum of $1,500 (that would be $20,000 in 2022 dollars). It was ferried from Altus to Troutdale by George Fuller, Bob Sturges, and Lacey over three days, March 8-10, 1947.

The CAA, precursor to the FAA, allowed such ferry flights from the WAA disposal airfield to its new home base without imposing any inspection or licensing requirements. If the airplane was to be flown further, then it had to comply with all requirements and be issued a civil registration number and an airworthiness certificate. However, Lacey had no intention of operating the B-17. The point of the purchase was unusual: Lacey wanted to mount the B-17 over one of his Oregon gas stations similar to an effort by another gas station owner in Oklahoma City.

To The Bomber Gas Station

In late June 1947, the large B-17G was disassembled by a dedicated volunteer crew and ready for transport. Having difficulties getting the proper permits to move the very oversized loads, the B-17 parts were covertly (hard to miss, though) moved overland from Troutdale to Milwaukie (a distance of about 22 miles) in the middle of a June night. Then, shortly afterwards, the B-17G was reassembled (by the same volunteer crew) and lifted by crane onto a platform over The Bomber Gas, where it would remain from 1947 until 2014. As can be imagined, it attracted much attention over the years, after all that was the point, but its condition deteriorated and parts disappeared. Nonetheless, it was an intact and more or less complete surviving B-17 in the 21st century.

Lacey, who passed away in 2000, left to his family the fate of the 44-85790. The family came up with a plan to restore it to airworthy condition and created The B-17 Alliance Foundation as the non-profit vehicle to do so. The airplane is currently under a lengthy restoration in an hangar at the Salem, Oregon, airport. The website offers opportunities to donate much needed time and money to the mammoth effort required to restore the B-17 now known as Lacey’s Lady. Kudos to Art Lacey for saving the B-17, and kudos to the foundation for its efforts to preserve and restore the airplane.

Postscript

After all the above was written, a review of The B-17 Alliance Foundation website revealed the below photo…also showing B-17G 44-85790, presumably, at the Troutdale airport in the same period. I had not seen this photo before but it shows there are others out there of the airplane before it was moved. Interestingly in the photo below, it appears efforts were made to remove the fuselage national insignia at some point.