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2005 B-17 NEWS

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November 2005

• Interesting news came to light in mid-October that B-17G 44-83563 (N9563Z), otherwise known as Fuddy Duddy, may be available for purchase, though the current owner, the Wings of Eagles (ex-National Warplane Museum), is looking for a special deal. Courtesy Aircraft, the premier dealer of all things warbird, is handling the arrangement, and the information they have posted on their website is located here. An inquiry to Mark Clark of Courtesy about the sale provided the following information directly from the source:

  Mark notes that "The museum has entered into a contract with Courtesy Aircraft to explore options on the aircraft.This would include finding a national sponsor for the aircraft to enter a long term agreement to keep it going, a buyer to buy it and donate back to them or a possible sale.The focus and the effforts of the Museum are changing and the B-17 does not really fit the new model. They are very interested in someone who will continue the educational and historic operation of the aircraft."

  44-83563 has a long an diverse history that includes: use as a USAF VB-17G that carried Eisenhower at least once; appearance in two movies, The War Lover and Tora Tora Tora; used to film Dr. Strangelove*; use as an air tanker for twenty-five years; and flying with the museum collection since 1986. The airplane was leased by the EAA in 2004 and 2005 to fill in for their B-17G 44-85740 (N5017N), Aluminum Overcast, after it was damaged in an May 2004 gear-up at Van Nuys.

  *Turns out this is incorrect. The camera plane was B-17G 44-85643 (F-BEEA). Thanks to Mark Sublette for this correction.

  Here is a photo of how the airplane currently looks, though this is a late 1990s view taken by Armand Miale of the National Warplane Museum.

  

  And here is a view of the airplane in 1977 at Prescott, Arizona, while flying as a tanker for Aircraft Specialties.:

  

• More news on the Memphis Belle front. The airplane, B-17F 41-24485 safely arrived via trucks at the National Museum of the Air Force facility at Dayton, Ohio in mid-October. The Air Force Museum plans a decade-long restoration effort of the airplane after finally taking the airplane back from the Memphis Belle Memorial Association. Here is a view of the airplane arriving at the Air Force Museum facility, provided by Douglas Birkey:

  

  The Memphis Belle, a combat veteran of 25 missions in the early air war over Europe, has been in the possession of the city of Memphis since 1946 when it was saved from the Altus, Oklahoma, scrapyard by city representatives. It was placed with the city by the RFC, the disposal agency of the federal government at that time, as an educational memorial. Control of the airplane was later transferred to the Air Force Museum, which has insisted the airplane be properly restored and displayed. After years of earnest work in restoration and fundraising the Air Force remained dissatisfied and took the airplane back. Though sad for Memphis, this airplane is one of the two most significant existing B-17s and deserves the best treatment possible, which it will receive in its new home. The other significant B-17, by the way, is B-17D 40-3097 still lying in disassembled (and disgraceful) storage with the NASM. Don't get me started.

• Todd Hackbarth reported in early September that B-17G 44-83514 (N9323Z) was damaged by hail at Akron, Ohio. Damage consisted of holes in the ailerons and elevators, two broken windshield segments, and divets througout the aluminum skin from hail. At the time that Todd visited the airplane on September 9, the control surfaces were removed for recovering and new windshield parts were on the way. The airplane was expected to be airworthy fairly quickly, though a bit lumpier than before. This is not the first time Sentimental Journey has suffered such damage, nor will it be the last time if the airplane (and others) are operated in areas where there are thunderstorms (i.e., the United States). Hangars large enough to hold a B-17 are rare.

• The current issue of Warbird Digest, Number 6, has news and photos that B-17G 44-83684, better known as Piccadilly Lilly, is being stripped and repainted in a camouflage scheme with 96th Bomb Group colors at its Planes of Fame home at Chino, California. The repainting is being sponsored by Jack Croul and Steve Andrews of Product Technologies, Inc. of Rialto, California. PTI has specially formulated paint which should further protect the airplane. (Croul was a B-17 navigator with the 96th BG and flew 33 missions.) The Piccadilly Lilly's claim to fame was its use as the centerpiece of the TV show Twelve O'Clock High filmed at Chino between 1964 and 1966. The airplane is to be the subject of a complete restoration to airworthy status once funding is raised. Until then, the airplane will still greet museum visitors, but now will have new paint and markings.

• The travails of the UK's Sally B, B-17G 44-85784 (G-BEDF), have been well publicized recently, particularly with the dramatic increase in insurance requirements in Common Market member states, an increase that very nearly grounded the airplane. Late news comes via Richard Bird and the Sally B website that insurance arrangements are now in place to keep the airplane in the air at least through September 30, 2006. Efforts are underway, both officially and unofficially, to amend the restrictive new insurance regulations or at least allow exemptions for the big warbirds like Sally B. The Duxford-base group that operates the B-17, B-17 Preservation, Ltd., has gathered 25,000 signatures on a petition to be presented to the British government in an effort to have the regulations changed.

• In a related note, Sally B was therefore able to participate in a 'Fly Past' on October 21 at the memorial service held for noted author and Eighth Air Force historian Roger Freeman, who passed away October 6. Freeman was best known for his series of 'Mighty Eighth' books, detailed and authoritative histories that have become established reference sources. Here is a photo provided by Richard Bird and taken by Norman Feltwell at the memorial service.

  

• Finally, Dominic Barrett sent me a link to his page concerning the crash of B-17G 44-83325 on the Isle of Skye in the UK on March 3, 1945. The airplane was being ferried from the U.S., reportedly enroute to assignment with the 15th Air Force in Italy, when it crashed, killing the nine man crew. The webpage is a tribute to the crew and is located here.

September 2005 Addendum

• Sean O'Brien contacted me regarding the item and photo I posted below regarding B-17G 44-85790 and the current state of that airplane. I thought I would present his comments here (with minor editing) as another point of view:

  "I noticed that you posted a picture and feedback from Scott Thompson about the Lacey Lady. He states that there is a question about the ownership of the plane. There is no question. It is Punky Scott, daughter of the late Art Lacey. I have spoken with the Lacey family including Punky and they have every intention of restoring this plane, in fact the nose section is completed and the cockpit section is in Aurora at Shane Wease's shop dissasembled ready for restoration. I have spoken to Shane Wease as well and visited his shop and viewed the cockpit. This plane is restorable and each phase of the restoration is being completed to airworthy. While the Lacey family is currently low on funds they are not low on enthusiasum. It would be nice if people would quit saying oh this poor plane and use that energy to help the restoration effort. I really enjoy your website . I would really like to see this posted on your site. I really do wish that all the B-17 enthuseists in the northwest would do what they could to help with this effort."

  I won't repeat my comments about the airplane, noted below, through the past several years below, and in my book Final Cut. Suffice it to say that the airplane needs some attention.

September 2005

• Not really news for anyone who has an interest in B-17s, but the incredible feat of getting eight of the eleven remaining flying B-17s together was duly accomplished by the Yankee Air Force and the other fine folks who participated in the Thunder Over Michigan airshow in early August. All eight airplanes were together in the air on at least one occassion, in two loose four ship formations, surely the largest gathering of flying B-17s since the 1950s when the USAF B-17 drone squadrons were still around. A remarkable event, and one I surely regret missing. It probably won't happen again, or at least I wouldn't expect to see it again any time soon. For those who tabulate such things, those B-17s were, in no particular order: Chuckie, Liberty Belle, Thunderbird, Sentimental Journey, Fuddy Duddy, Memphis Belle, Nine-O-Nine, and Yankee Lady.

  For the record, the three flyers that didn't make it were Sally B, Pink Lady, and Angela. Two other B-17s are usually flyers, those being Texas Raiders and Aluminum Overcast, maintenance and repairs keeping those airplanes in a long term grounded status. Someday, hopefully not too far off, they will return to the skies and bring the flying total up to a hopefully lucky thirteen.

  Look for some great aviation media coverage in the next few months as the magazines catch up with the event. There were many other warbirds present but they, of course, are not B-17s so, well, you know. Here is a photo of all eight B-17s on the line during the show, provided by Tim Bivens:

  

• Courtesy of Ron Strong, here is a current photo of the B-17G Yankee Doodle II on display at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. The airplane is looking much worse for wear, with the control surfaces tattered and frayed. It is sad to see airplanes slide downhill, and this one is going that way. As long as static B-17s are displayed outdoors it seems to be their fate. This is an ex Navy PB-1W that served for years as a tanker before being traded back to the USAF Museum, which assigned it to the base for display. I'm sure there is a good reason for the neglected appearance of the airplane, but hopefully it will receive some needed attention soon.

  

• Speaking of sliding downhill quickly, I had a chance to view the Lacey airplane, 44-85790 first hand in August, and it is looking very poorly. I understand the efforts of the Bomber restoration folks as they have tried to marshall the funds and then reportedly never were able to get their IRS non-profit status approved. Nonetheless, this airplane is on short final to a rustpile collapse, which is a sad state to be in, considering it is 2005 and not 1953. Perhaps the airplane should be donated to an organizaton that can restore it correctly, at least to static condition. A flyer is doubtful given its corroded condition, and then, of course, there is a question of who actually owns the airplane... To be fair, I did not speak to anyone from the Lacey group, but I can imagine what they have to say, as has been said by them many times in the past. From what ever perspective, a sad story.

  

• Peter from bomberflight.com passed along some recent photos of Aluminum Overcast, 44-85740 (N5017N) taken at Oshkosh in early August. Work is progressing nicely on the airplane; it appears most of the basic structural repairs are completed, and the systems work is beginning. Here are two photos he sent:

  

  

  Peter also reports that in a recent edition of EAA Tailwinds contains information that the EAA, in its quest for parts to support the rebuilding effort, was able to track down a cache of B-17 parts from across border in Canada. It was described as several trailer loads of vital parts/engines/airframe components sufficient to complete the restoration and keep the airplane flying for many years to come.

• The WIX Forum has a message from Corporal Shelldrake that suggests senior Papua New Guinea officials are moving toward approving the recovery of what has come to be called the Swamp Ghost, B-17E 41-2446, from a remote swamp. No details as to who might have gained permission to recover the airplane, and of course, the fluid political situation in that part of the world always keeps things interesting. If true, it would be a significant recovery as that combat veteran B-17Es condition will continue to deteriorate the longer it sits in five feet of water.

• New coming available on September 1 is that the Memphis Belle, B-17F 41-24485 will, after all, be going to the National Museum of the Air Force for restoration and display. It was announced back in October of 2004 that the museum would reclaim the B-17 from Memphis, home to the veteran bomber since 1946. A local uproar and some political maneuvering by local congressemen and senators kept the Air Force at bay for awhile, but the Mempis Belle Memorial Association has now conceded that the necessary resources cannot be amassed in Memphis to properly restore and display the historic bomber. While it is a loss for Memphis, it is the gain for preservation as the Memphis Belle should finally receive the necessary attention. Probably not a bad idea to move it further inland, either, what with hurricanes and such. It is expected that the wings and other smaller sections of the airplane, already disassembled, will be trucked to Dayton in the next few months, but it is expected that the fuselage will be transported via C-5. It was announced that it can be expected that the restoration effort could take up to ten years, and that at that time the historic B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby (42-32076) will be moved to another Air Force or similar museum. Look here for an announcement on the Memphis Belle Memorial Association's website. (Thanks to Pat Carry for the heads up.)

• There is an extensive article in the Fall 2005 Warbird Digest about the restoration effort of B-17E 41-2595, otherwise known as Desert Rat by Ed Likes. That restoration, underway at Marengo, Illinois, is the long-term but making-progress effort by Mike Kellner and a team of volunteers to restore the ex XC-108 back to airworthy status. Lots of photos, both past and present, brings the effort up to date. See here about how to obtain the issue.

July 2005

• What has been speculation until recently has now been confirmed: the Thunder Over Michigan show to be put on the YAF on August 7th and 8th. The museum confirmed that, indeed, Chuckie will be at the show, bring the official total confirmed to attend to eight, count 'em eight, B-17s. Only three of the eleven flying Fortresses will miss the show, two of which are in Europe. This would be the largest gathering of B-17s since 1959, at least, when the USAF finally retired all of its drone squadron B-17s. It will be a milestone, one which I regret I will miss. Hopefully, they can all get in the air at the same time, though that may be a challenge. See below in the May update to see those planning on attending. To whet the appetite, here is a recent photos of Chuckie passed along to me, this taken at the Denton Air Fair in early May.

  

• An interesting story comes from Troy Westrum about a B-17 tail section that eventually went into the static restoration of B-17G 44-83542, displayed at Kermit Weeks Fantasy of Flight facility at Polk City, Florida. Troy did a writeup on this tail section in the late 1980s/early 1990s that appeared in Warbirds International that had a few photos also.

  "It might be interesting for you to know that I have a connection with the B-17 on display at Kermit Weeks Fantasy of Flight Museum. The fuselage section from the horizontal stab to the rear of the wing I recovered and sold to Tom Reilly in the early 1990's. Tom used this section for the static rebuild of the B-17 which you can walk through at Fantasy of Flight. It had been buried and used as a storm shelter. It had been on a "Gas-Station B-17" in Minnesota. The aircraft had become an eye-sore and was removed to a farm field in the early 1970's where it sat until about the mid 1980's. At that point the rear fuselage was removed and buried as a storm shelter. The engines,props,seats,wheels and instruments were removed and sold. The remainder of the ship was cut up and melted down into ingots by a guy with a mobile salvage business that stumbled upon it. This was about a year or so before I learned of it. What remained was piled up and burnt. I tried in vane to track down any other pieces that might have survived. I did find some oil shutter assemblies and some fuel tank cradles and a few other odds and ends. Eventually, a top turret and a belly turret turned up that came from the same area. I'm pretty confident that these came from the same aircraft but were not found by me."

• Mark Brotherton passed along a few recent pictures of B-17G 44-83512 on static display at Lackland AFB, Texas. The airplane appears to be in good external condition, its just the ugly blue panels that have replaced the fuselage glass that dominates the image. It's probably hard for civilians to see this airplane anymore, so here is one of the photos:

  

• Pacific Wrecks announced in April 2005 the availability of a DVD with much information about B-17E 41-2446, better known as The Swamp Ghost for its remote crash site location in Papua New Guinea. This airplane has long been the subject of thus-far fruitless recovery efforts. Check out the new DVD here.

• Scott Doremus passed along this recent photo of B-17G 44-83863 in its new paint scheme at the Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida. He reports the airplane looks good from a distance but there obviously some corrosion problems going on under the skin.

  

• Check out this new website for warbird news, including a slew of B-17 stuff. Thanks to Peter for the heads-up.

May 2005

• Yet another indignity was suffered by the Lacey B-17G, 44-85790, in April. Still mounted, for the most part, above a parking lot in Milwaukie, Oregon, a truck ran into the tail, damaging or destroying the tail gun enclosure. As can be seen from this photo, the unit has been removed and a plywood cover applied to keep larger animals out of the fuselage. This B-17G, mounted on pylons since 1948, had its nose section removed eight years ago and partially rebuilt. Evidently, funding for a planned restoration has lagged way behind the effort and the airplane continues to deteriorate. This airframe and sister ship 44-85738 are really the only two intact U.S. Fortresses that have not enjoyed a significant preservation effort, aside from occassional cosmetic cleaning and painting. The skin on the Lacey airplane is clearly corroded. Sad to see the airplanes continue down this road. Thanks to Nick Veronico and David Anderson for the photos.

  

• Good news on the flying Fortress front! Unexpected news comes from Fort Worth, Texas, as Chuckie, B-17G 44-8543 (N3701G) was flown on a test flight in early May. After being grounded for several years due to cantankerous engines and a wing airworthiness directive, the airplane was successfully flown and plans are now coming together for the airplane to make the Thunder Over Michigan show in early August. Congratulations to Doc and Chuckie Hospers, the flight crew, and all the ground guys who worked so hard to get the airplane back in the air. We have updated our locator listing to show eleven B-17s currently actually flying, with two in long term maintenance for flying (Texas Raiders and Aluminum Overcast). Thanks to Tom Crawford for this update.

• Speaking of Thunder Over Michigan, the current Yankee Air Force listing indicates that seven, count 'em seven, B-17s will try and make the show. Theoretically, this would be Yankee Lady, Nine-O-Nine, Sentimental Journey, Fuddy Duddy, the (mock) Memphis Belle, Thunderbird, and Liberty Belle. If Chuckie is indeed added, this would make eight B-17s at the show. The only missing airworthy B-17s would be Angela, Pink Lady and Duxford's Sally B. Of course, eight B-17s mean 32 Wright R-1820s, and what are the chances of 32 R-1820s running at the same time in 2005? Miracles can happen, though. Anyone east of the Sacramento River (and selected individuals west of the river) with B-17 in his/her blood should try to make the show at Willow Run, Michigan, on August 7 and 8.

• Speaking of Sally B, 44-85784 (G-BEDF), late word comes that this airplane has been technically grounded for now due to the excessive insurance requirements being imposed by the European Union on all aircraft operators, including warbirds. A new classification system uses aircraft weight for the basis of insurance requirements, and the B-17 falls into the same category as the Boeing 737. So, regardless of the how the airplane is used or operated, a minimum level of insurance is legally required for the airplane, and B-17 Preservation, Ltd. cannot afford the excessive premium at this time. Arbritary and bureaucratic, to say the least. Best hope is that some EU folks come to their senses and allow exceptions. Meanwhile, Sally B misses the 60th Anniversery Commemorations of the end of the European part of World War II.

• Finally, as mentioned in the April 2005 update, the Eglin B-17G, 44-83863 received a new paint job and here is the airplane in its finished markings, courtesy of Mark Sublette:

  

April 2005

• I enjoyed some interesting correspondence with Bob Reid, one-time owner of what is now the Liberty Belle, B-17G 44-85734 (N390TH). He provided details of some the dealings that went on with the airplane in the early 1990s when he purchased the airplane from Tom Reilly. He confirms that the airplane was, in fact, destined for Israel in a trade. In his account, he would trade the airplane to McDonnell Douglas, who then would give the B-17 to the Israeli government in exchange for some helicopters that would then go to Bob Reid. He notes in an email that "I bought the airplane for exchange with McDonnell Douglas for some helicopters in Israel. Boeing came on the scene when they bought McDonnell Douglas and took over the contract. Boeing's lawyers did not like the exchange idea, paid me for the aircraft and took over the contract I had with Tom Reilly to restore the airplane. Tom restored it and sold it to the current owner..." He added later that "...it is really a shame that the IAF didn't get the airplane...just goes to show how lawyers and accountants can ruin deals...if Boeing would have followed through it would have been a lot less expensive for them." So, based on Bob's personal knowledge, Boeing did indeed own this airplane for awhile, and evidently was the owner when it was sold to Don Brooks for his Liberty Foundation. Bob also confirmed that the earlier registration of N817BR was going to be painted on the airplane so it would read "NB17BR". The airplane never had those markings applied, however, as it was sold to Brooks long before it neared airworthy status. Presumably, the Israeli government was interested in the airplane for display as a monument to the role that three B-17s played in the infant Israeli Air Force in both the 1948 and 1956 wars it fought. Thanks to Bob Reid for filling in some information on an obscure part of this airplane's history.

• Mark Sublette reports that the B-17G displayed at Eglin AFB's Armament Museum, 44-83863, suffered minor damage during the middle of September 2004 when Hurricane Ivan swept through the area. He reports that the rudder was damaged, presumably by the high winds. In January 2005 he saw the airplane again and it was undergoing repainting and the damage to the rudder has apparently been repaired. Thanks to Mark for this view of the airplane.

  

February 2005

• Gary Larkins sent a photo of the restored aft fuselage section of B-17F 42-30861, recovered by Larkins from a remote Alaskan lake in 1996. The fuselage section is being shipped to the Ultimate Sacrifice facility located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where it will rejoin another Larkins restoration, B-17E 41-9032, otherwise known as My Gal Sal. The aft fuselage section will be completed with the reinstallation of guns, ammo cans, control cables, and other interior parts. Recent news from the Ultimate Sacrifice group in Cincinnati has been slow in coming, as their website has not been updated for over a year. However, things are apparently progressing and it seems that part of another B-17 will also be displayed there when the memorial opens.

  

  Check out this link for more photos.

• Word is coming forth that there may be as many as six B-17s at the Yankee Air Force Thunder Over Michigan show in early August. The YAF is still reeling, and will be for many years, at the disasterous fire of October 9, 2004. However, it apparently has not deterred the plans for another great gathering of warbirds. Six B-17s on the ramp would be the greatest gathering in many years. Also coming? Two B-24s, a B-29, and many B-25s. A bomber summer.

• Interesting discussion on the FlyPast Forum site about this photograph of a B-17G that was posted by 'SpitfireMK':

  

  It would appear that the number one engine has been completely removed, nacelle and all. A close look at the photo suggests that the number four engine is still installed. The details behind this aircraft remain unknown, with many suggestions offered on the forum thread. My guess: the engine and nacelle were removed for a ferry flight, possibly to get the airplane to a major repair depot for work.

• Periodical News: Warbird Digest #3 has a feature on B-17G 44-85734 (N390TH). FlyPast Magazine has a special 70th Anniversery publication for the B-17 that features many different aspects of the history of the B-17. It will be available in mid February. 70 years....the first Model 299 flew on July 28, 1935.

• With regard to Liberty Belle, it also seems likely that Tom Reilly will close his Kissimmee facility that produced the B-17 restoration and relocate to Douglas, Georgia, and start work on rebuilding Don Brooks' other B-17, 44-83790, recovered last year from a lake in Labrador. He will probably also do the regular maintenance on Liberty Belle. While it's a shame to lose a major restoration shop, it is also encouraging that Brooks is serious about rebuilding his recovered B-17.

  Michael Ennis of the 390th Memorial Museum website also provided a link to their website that has several videos of Liberty Belle taken during its first taxi and test flights. Check it out here.

• Related to 44-83790, Chuck Giese posted some photos and information about the efforts undertaken by Marengo Metals to clean up the recovered airframe part of this airplane so they can be evaluated. Both Chuck and Mike Kellner, currently directing the restoration of B-17E 41-2595 participated in the cleanup. Check out that posting here.

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