A photo by surfaced on Facebook (Aviation Wrecks and Relics group) yesterday that showed the current state of B-17G 44-85740, otherwise known as the EAA’s Aluminum Overcast. This B-17G has been in maintenance at a facility at Punta Gorda, Florida, since March 2021 when a wing attach issue was discovered during an aircraft pre-flight inspection.

Repairs have been progressing slowly, depending on what resources the EAA can dedicate. However, Punta Gorda was the dead-on target of Hurricane Ian in late September, and there was significant damage to the aircraft and hangars at the Punta Gorda airport. There was much concern in the B-17 world about the status of Aluminum Overcast in the days that followed. The EAA released the following statement on September 30:

September 30, 2022 — EAA’s B-17 Aluminum Overcast, which has been based in Punta Gorda, Florida, for the past year while awaiting repairs to its wing structure, apparently sustained only minor damage as Hurricane Ian came ashore in that area of the Gulf Coast earlier this week and caused tremendous damage in that region.

“We were incredibly fortunate that the aircraft did not suffer any major damage, from what early indications tell us,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and chairman of the board. “Our thanks to Arcadia Aerospace Industries for looking after the airplane and taking all the precautions they could prior to the storm’s landfall and during the event.”

The hangar where the B-17 was parked did suffer substantial damage, but early inspection shows only one piece of structure struck the B-17’s tail section, which is repairable. The fuselage was not damaged from initial inspection done on-site, although there is a great deal of debris in the hangar that must be cleaned up.

“The first priority is ensuring the hangar structure is safe to enter before sending our people there to further inspect the airframe,” Pelton said. “We don’t have an exact timeline for that to occur, but we are very fortunate compared to the very sad loss of life and property that occurred throughout southwest Florida during the hurricane. Our thoughts are with all in that area, including our many EAA members and friends.”

Aluminum Overcast has been in Punta Gorda since March 2021, when a routine pre-flight inspection revealed a crack emanating from the left sheer web, which is a secondary support structure for the wing. The only way to repair that is by removing the wing. The repair itself is not overly complicated, but getting to it is. As the wing was removed, EAA teams noticed other things that would be best served by repairing them at the same time. The proper parts for the vintage World War II bomber are currently being specially manufactured for the repairs.

As noted, yesterday I saw the first post-hurricane photo of the B-17G on a Facebook post found here. The photo and posting was by Martyn Thompson.

From the photo, a few things can be discerned:

• The airplane has been pulled out of the damaged hangar
• Damage inflicted on the rudder and vertical stabilizer is apparent
• The right (and probably left) wing outer panel remains off the aircraft, but engines are installed and the airplane is on its main landing gear, indicating the repair to the left wing structure has been completed.
• Supposition: further work on the aircraft will be delayed until a hangar is available. No projected date of the project completion has been announced, either before or after the hurricane.