Is this 44-83512?

[Chris Brame]

While I was looking for something else, I found these two Life magazine shots of a B-17 at Lackland AFB in 1951. Is it 44-83512?

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/f? ... edfecb6c20

http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l? ... s%3Disch:1

[aerovin2]

i'd say yes based on the fact that 44-83512 was at Lackland after August 1950. A bit unusual is that the entire chin turret skin patch has been replaced with new skin except for the rivet lines depicting where the aft fairing was. Note also the lack of the left cheek gun mount, typical of DB-17Gs (of which 44-83512 was not one) but it was also removed from 44-83512 during its short USAF utilization. If I were a betting man, I'd say that was 44-83512.