Aero Vintage Books

I found this photograph at the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation's "Hawaii Aviation" website.



The only information offered is that she's a B-17F "near Hangars 3 and 5, Hickam Field, 7th Air Force, Gunnery School".

Assuming that she's a veteran of the 11th Bomb Group, the possibilities are pretty limited - 41-24426, 41-24446 Jezabel, or 41-24535.

I'm anxious to find out which, and any help will be warmly welcomed.

The more you look at the photo the more interesting it becomes. To me, anyway.

Is it my imagination, or are those engine cowlings rotated????? Is that even possible????

And; what about the "CC" on the cowling nearest to the photo? Or is that a "watermark"?

Lastly are those antenna under the mission/kill markings?

Wow, Steve, really cool! Thanks!

Joe

jkendal wrote:Is it my imagination, or are those engine cowlings rotated????? Is that even possible????

And; what about the "CC" on the cowling nearest to the photo? Or is that a "watermark"?

Lastly are those antenna under the mission/kill markings?

Wow, Steve, really cool! Thanks!

Joe

The cowlings are not "rotated", they appear to be natural metal with OD anti-glare painted on. Note on the number three-engine how the cowl flaps are cut out for the exhaust stack. In any case, the forward part of the B-17 cowling (minus the cowl flap ring) can be removed as three seperate pieces and, if I am not mistaken, then re-installed in any order.

Thanks for the input on the cowl rings.

I take your points, but; they don't look natural metal to me.

Look at the inboard engine. If that is an anti glare panel, it extends roughly 2/3s of the way around the cowl. Additionally the weathering on the part that is purported to be natural metal is typical of a painted surface, not a NM surface.

With respect, I have NOT ever worked on a B-17, however; I have almost thirty years in Aviation Maintenance, and; it looks painted to me.

I did note the "cut outs" and that bothers me. However; there is something else about those cowlings that bothers me,and I can not put my finger on it.

Just like that POV on the background. With fuel being rationed, and access restricted.... I don't know.....it just bothers me.

Joe

Hi Steve,does the original picture look to have had nose art that has been painted out?Could the cowlings denote gunnery school bird?

Joe, that 'CC' marking is painted on the cowlings, and that's a pretty typical sea-search antenna array below the kill markings.

HTE, I can't see evidence of a nickname or nose art being painted over.

It's intriguing that an aircraft with only 14 missions displayed has credit for six enemy aircraft destroyed . . . surely there's a story there that we should have heard about.