Aero Vintage Books

2 Boeing B-17 data plates just sold on ebay. The sale number is 230360398445. You can still see it, or check for it on past sales. They came from an estate sale in Chicago. One is an AAC plate from a B-17C destroyed in RAF service at Podington. The other is B-17F 42-5753, a converted photo ship.

The new owner (Dik Shepherd) passed along some interesting information on these plates:

"The B-17F data plate is from aircraft 42-30639.

The plate is a Boeing plate and aircraft 42-5753 was built by Vega.

The 5753 serial number is a Boeing serial number.

The B-17C military acceptance data plate is made of brass and has the words . . .

"Prestwick Air Base
Scotland
U S A A F
132 AACS"

scratched on the back of it.

The data plate from 42-30639 also has . . .

"Prestwick
Scotland
10-21-44

scratched on the back of it.

Aircraft 42-30639 was a combat veteran with the 390th BG, 569th BS, until it was turned over to the R.A.F. in 1944. It went to 214 Squadron as a "Fortress II" which means I have a "Fortress I" and a "Fortress II" data plate. All I need now is a B-17G that was a "Fortress III".

The "C" data plate calls it a "C-1". That's the first time I've ever seen these aircraft referred to anything other than just a B-17C.

Also, the "F" (42-30639) had the name "COY DECOY II" while it was in the 390th BG.

It's listed as having a photo available, but I haven't found it yet."

Thanks for the info, Scott. I should have seen that it was the construction number, not the AAF serial number.