B-17G Flying Fortress - Valparaiso, FL
N 30° 27.994 W 086° 33.714
16R E 542054 N 3370568
B-17G S/N 44-83863 is painted as B-17F S/N 42-30180, of the 96th Bombardment Group which evolved into the 96th Air Base Wing, Eglin AFB's resident unit.
Waymark Code: WMH0QN
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 05/03/2013
Views: 6
B-17G 44-83863 became U.S. Navy PB-1W, BuNo 77231, then civilian firebomber N5233V, Previously it has been marked as 44-83863, unnamed; 44-6106, "Gremlin's Hideout"; and as 44-83863, "Wicked Wanda". It arrived at Eglin 19 June 1975 from Aero Union, Chico, California, who operated it as firebomber 71/D1.
The Boeing 299 was the prototype of the B-17 Flying Fortress, probably the most significant air weapon of its time. In 1921 Army bombers in a special demonstration for the Navy, sank the captured German Battleship Frankfurt by air bombing. At that time there was a great deal of discussion about the role of the airplane as a weapon. It was recognized that an airplane which could carry a large bomb load a considerable distance from its base, and be able to defend itself from enemy fighters, would be desirable. Neither aircraft design nor materials, however, had advanced enough to make such a thing possible.
In 1930 C.L. Egtvedt, of Boeing, who had been present when the Frankfurt was sunk, delivered a Boeing fighter to the Navy. A Navy officer remarked to him that, despite all the progress aviation had made, there still was no aerial counter part for the battleship -- an airplane that could operate far from its base, deliver a heavy blow to the enemy and protect itself from attack.
In 1934 when the Army first announced its competition for "multiengine" bombers, Boeing engineers went to work to give shape to the design that Egtvedt had formed as a result of these discussions. The project was financed entirely with company funds.
The B-17G was the result of an almost continuous improvement program of earlier B-17 models. The G model was basically the production version of the B-17F after the modifications and improvements were incorporated into the design. Although the Bendix chin turret is the most obvious improvement incorporated into the B-17G, it was actually first used on late model B-17Fs. More than 8,500 B-17Gs were built by three different manufacturers: Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed-Vega. More than 12,500 B-17s of all types were built before production ended.
Type of Aircraft: (make/model): B-17G Flying Fortress
Tail Number: (S/N): 44-83863
Construction:: original aircraft
Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): USAF Armament Museum
inside / outside: outside
Access restrictions:
The plane is one of 25 located outside the USAF Armament Museum just off Eglin AFB. There is no fence around the museum so the outdoor planes are accessible every day.
Other Information:: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)
Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.