Another Air Scouts B-17 to identify

[Chris Brame]

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:

Freeport Air Scouts B-17.jpg

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...

[aerovin2]

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

[terveurn]

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.

[aerovin2]

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

[Chris Brame]

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:

Freeport_Journal_Standard_Mon__Jul_28__1947_.jpg

* * *
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?