Aero Vintage Books

I posted on WIX earlier today about B-17G 44-83684:

There's a pretty good older photo of B-17G 44-83684 on eBay right now. This is the Chino landmark "Picadilly Lilly" but in a rare look at its 447th BG colors.

See:

gbo Photo, USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (483684)
Item number: 270117442778


http://cgi.ebay.com/gbo-Photo-USAAF-Boe ... dZViewItem


Starting bid: US $6.00
seller in New Hampshire
History: 0 bids

I went to:

http://www.447bg.com/

The web site says this:

B-17G-90-DL 44-83684 Delivered to USAAF: 4/5/1945 and assigned to 447th on 04/19/45. Possibly "last a/c assigned to grp" (Freeman) but perhaps not delivered; tran to drone director until 1960; Civil N3713G at Chino, CA 1984; used in 12 O'Clock High; PICADILLY LILLY (film name)

This is probably a pretty rare photo. I wonder if the guys in Chino have seen it?

Lowell Thompson
Kellogg, Idaho
301st Bomb Group/Wings Association Historian

44-83684 was delivered in May 1945 and went straight to storage, first at Patterson Field, Ohio, and later Lubbock, Texas, and then Pyote, Texas. It wasn't pulled from storage until 1950. It was not assigned to any 8th AF unit nor did it go overseas in 1945. This is as per the aircraft record card.

44-83684 wore the fictitious 447nd BG colors for a short time beginning in 1977 while displayed by the Air Museum. All evidence suggests that the Ebay photo is from this time period.

Back before all of the current B-17s touring the country, and when The Air Museum was still at the Ontario Airport, Ed Maloney decided that it might be nice if more people could get to see a real flying B-17. So. it was decided to clean up the "Lily" and fly her to some airshows back east.

Jim Farmer and I were discussing how she should look, so we went to a hobby shop in Ontario and looked through Roger Freeman's book "The Mighty Eighth" and decided that, because the O.D and Gray paint was going to remain, some color needed to be added. Thus, the markings of the 447th Bomb Group were applied.

Thanks Dik, for that information. I'm curious, though, because the airplane first wore the "square L" of the 452nd BG from the early 1970s while it was still flying, and only seemed to have gained the "square K" in 1977, after the airplane was grounded.

My incomplete information indicates the USAF (at that time the owner of the airplane) grounded 44-83684 in 1971 due to its condition, particularly the engines. Any further information you can add to this?

I believe the grounding happened long after '71, as it was still flying when we went to Canada to retrieve the Martin B-26s for Tallichet. And that was from Sept. to Dec. '71.

Also, the grounding had a lot to do with the engines having major problems.