Aero Vintage Books

I was looking through the newspapers.com site for the NMUSAF's P-61 when the Air Scouts had it (found one photo and two articles), and tried a search for "Air Scouts B-17". This one turned up in Freeport, IL: Here's the odd thing: Freeport is only about 23 miles north of Polo, where B-17G 42-102715 went. Interesting to find two Air Scouts planes so close together.
OK, let's try to ID this one...

Chris, another big find. Thanks for posting this. These airplanes keep turning up. And another mystery to ponder.

Nothing really ads-up....

Wondering if the 22-tons is a guestimate

Empty weight for a B-17 is wrong, if it was a Pacific base ship with a 44- serial number then should be a B-24 or a B-29 (but the give away price for a B-29 was about 1,000), but no B-29's at Walnut Ridge.

unless it was a B-17H / SB-17G

Walnut Ridge was also the primary depositary of training ships, obsolete B-17F and earlier - but again, the article mentions made in 44 (ie a 44- s/n)

Other clue is fwd escape hatch - so back to B-17.

Wonder what Air Scout Squadron was located at this field and if any records survive.

Here is a "bingo" moment:

Photo taken at the Albertus Airport (Freeport, IL) in July 1947 after a windstorm.



See if the sleuths can take the BXH fuselage code and run with it...

Found here: https://www.journalstandard.com/article ... /312069983

Checking the Freeport papers now; sadly, that storm also destroyed a rare-even-then Stearman-Hammond pusher. There's a front-page photo of the damage in the July 28, 1947 Freeport Journal-Standard, but not much to see: * * *
OK, I'm not finding any mention of the B-17 (and a C-46 they got shortly afterward) after the 1947 storm. The airport underwent a considerable expansion in 1948, so maybe that spelled the end for both planes?