Aero Vintage Books

Paging Dan or Scott!
Oh boy. Look what just popped up on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-17C-BOMBER-LA ... SwIQdZHleC


This is one of the Air Force movie birds that also shows up in this William Larkins photo on the dump at Lowry Field, minus wings, with the name The Goldbrick on its nose:


In Air Force:

This one should get you and Steve thinking....

39-1 was scrapped in 1944. From the pictures, she had her wings clipped at this time. Now, from all accounts, B-17D 40-3097 (aka Ole' Betsy, The Swoose), was found to have serious wing corrosion (center section) and had both wings replaced -- supposedly from a forgotten spares source of B-17B sections.

I always found that curious as inboard wing sections are really not something you would have as a spare part (s). Just wondering if 40-3097 inboards are / were borrowed from 39-1.

Dave

I dimly remember that story, but I thought it was a set of unused wing sections that turned up in Panama?

Guess I'll keep an eye on that one. Not sure I want to spend that much though. More fun finding the ones that aren't ID'd and are a lot less expensive!

Chris Brame wrote:I dimly remember that story, but I thought it was a set of unused wing sections that turned up in Panama?

That's my understanding, too.

Numerous mentions that Boeing never was thrilled about the Air Corps / Air Force doing major inboard wing repairs or swapping around rear fuselages to make one complete aircraft. They often cite that this major repairs could only be carried out using the original jigs held by Boeing.

So I can not see Boeing selling the AAF a spare set of inboards (and the AAF just happen to have them laying around in the Panama depot waiting to be used). Often thought there was something suspicious about this "repair".

Even when the 8th AF did major wing swaps (which was very rare) they had to rely on having to use a inboard section from salvaged aircraft (it also took a lot of heavy machining to accomplish).

So for the Panama Air Depot to just happen to have a set of brand new inboards laying around and conveniently found just in time to be used for a general's personnel hack, seems more of a way of explaining a case of midnight requisition.

Also, if you read the Turner book on the Panama Air Force, the B-17's were rotated back to the ZOI whenever there was any major repairs or major checks that needed to be accomplish. So for the PAD to suddenly have the technology, to do this major change adds less credibility to this story that has been told.

Wonder if when they do the restoration of the B-17D, if the original MFG's tags can be found on these sections.

If I remember correctly, according to Brownstein's book, they came from a parts depot in Panama and were intended for a B-17B.

varsity07840 wrote:If I remember correctly, according to Brownstein's book, they came from a parts depot in Panama and were intended for a B-17B.

Correct, that is what has been reported for the past 50 years -- now my question is how true is that story....

We have seen many stories like this appear and have been discounted.

Do you also remember the story that when the Swoose was donated to NASM and it was sitting at Mine Field (today's LAX) and just before it was supposed to have been ferried, the co-pilot was quoted as saying; "she is too perfect", so both he and the pilot too the crash ax and punched numerous holes in the airframe to simulate battle damage.

Who today would believe such outrageous stories.

If you use common sense, Boeing was not really too happy about the Air Force doing major wing swaps, the rarity of a B-17B (and even more rare just happen to have a matching inboard wing section laying around a depot) and you can see what I am driving at -- a bullshit story.

Sold to the only bidder for $25. Was it anyone here?