Located at the Museum of Flight are a large number of static aircraft on display. One of them is a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress. The Museum of Flight website contains a
The B-17 Flying Fortress served the Allied cause around the globe during World War II. Perhaps most famous for its Eighth Air Force raids on Germany and occupied territories, the B-17 was legendary for its ability to take punishment and return with its crew. Over 12,700 of Boeing's long-range bombers were built by men and women in U.S. factories by the end of the war.
Drawing Board Heroes
The B-17 was built to be tough. From the beginning, Boeing's president, Claire Egtvedt, had envisioned the bomber as an "aerial battleship." During the war, many B-17s limped home with terrible damage that would have destroyed lesser aircraft. Much of the credit goes to a young Boeing engineer named Ed Wells who worked on the bomber's preliminary design. Wells converted Egtvedt's ideas into the brawny bomber that brought aircrews home alive.
Our Boeing B-17, the only flyable B-17 F-model left in the world
Our B-17's resurrection has been ongoing since 1991. Nearly two decades later, the restoration process, by a local, all volunteer force, is still underway. But there is a 48-year history prior to The Museum of Flight's acquisition that is as interesting as the plane's recent past. Whether as a memorial in a park, a fire fighting operator, crop sprayer, air tanker, or movie star, this B-17 has had anything but a static life. Our airplane began life here in Seattle, a mile north of the Museum, in Boeing's Plant II on February 13, 1943. Accepted into the Army Air Force as 42-29782, the plane was modified in Wyoming and then assigned training units at Blythe Field and then McClellan Field, both in California. A month later, 42-29782 worked its way back to Washington, flying training flights at Moses Lake. During one such flight the right main wheel came off and our B-17 spent some time in the shop with damage to the right wing and engines #3 and #4.
In January 1944, 42-29782 left for the European Theater. While it didn't see combat, it stayed in Britain for three months. Then in March of '44, 42-29782 returned to the States. It would visit overseas again, but not in a military capacity. The B-17 remained with the Army Air Force at Drew Field in Florida through the end of the war. On November 5, 1945, it was withdrawn from service and shipped to Altus, Oklahoma, for disposal.
There 42-29782 sat until 1946, when the War Assets Administration transferred the airplane to Stuttgart, Arkansas, for display as a War Memorial. Stripped of its turrets, guns, and other war-making items, it nested in a small park for the next five years. With only "Great White Bird" painted on the nose, the plane sat derelict until 1953 when the U.S. Government turned over title to a pair of brothers for $20,000. Now a civil aircraft, the Biegert brothers received the new serial number N17W. The plane was completely overhauled into flying condition and converted to an aerial sprayer. Among other things, the ex-bomber was used for spraying DDT.
It remained in the spraying capacity until 1960 when it was leased for fighting forest fires. Soon after, the plane was sold to an air tanker unit, which used N17W as a tanker through 1968. That was when our plane started it illustrious movie career...
Appearing in the movie 1,000 Plane Raid in 1968, N17W saw its first action in what would be three Hollywood features. The film Tora Tora Tora in 1969 came next and N17W’s acting career ended in 1989 with the movie Memphis Belle, starring Matthew Modine and Harry Connick, Jr. This final movie, shot on location in England, required more than 50 hours of flying time. In order for the director to give the illusion of many B-17s in the scenes (long before computer generated graphics), our plane was painted with one scheme on the left side and a different scheme on the right.
Meanwhile, from 1968 to 1985, Mr. Don Clark became the pilot of the aircraft. It continued to do various spraying, fire fighting, and tanker jobs. But its missions also included flights to Hawaii, Alaska, and England. In 1988, with a new owner named Robert Richardson, top and bottom turrets were installed and the plane became based at the Museum of Flight for the first time. After its quick spell with the Memphis Belle film shoot in England, the B-17 came back the Museum for good and its restoration began in 1991.
Although attractive enough for Hollywood, the B-17 was in tough shape when the Museum's restoration volunteers inherited it. To make the plane museum quality, to have it in its original military configuration, and to make it fully certified by the FAA, a lot of work was needed. All wartime equipment had been stripped off the craft, the plumbing was in terrible shape, the oil tanks were cracked and dripping, and the windows leaked. Holes had been cut into the bulkhead for parts that were no longer there and the chemicals and water that had been used for spraying had seriously corroded most of the bottom of the fuselage. These were just a few of the thousands of challenges the restoration crew would face in the coming years.
Flight Crew
10 Men, 1 Airplane -- The crew member here represents a waist gunner from a B-17F Flying Fortress. The B-17F accommodated a ten person crew--an airplane commander (pilot), co-pilot, flight engineer, bombardier, navigator, radio operator, and four gunners. Each aircraft had two waist gunners to protect either side of the bomber and observe flight conditions including engine performance. Of the B-17 crew positions, the waist gunner incurred the largest number of casualties. Each man was protected by a flack helmet, flack suit, and an armor plate contoured to the curve of the fuselage below the gun window.
Surviving at 20,000 Feet
B-17s were intended to fly above 20,000 feet to avoid enemy attacks, but with an unpressurized cabin, the high altitude presented problems for the crew. The air temperature above 20,000 feet can be more than 60 degrees below zero Fahrenheit and the amount of breathable oxygen is less than half that at sea level. Specially designed, electronically heated suit including heated shoe inserts and gloves were made for the crew. Oxygen masks were to be used above 10,000 feet. A parachute and life vest were also standard for each crewman.
The B-17 in Combat
The Flying Fortress remains one of the most-recognized airplanes of all time. It is fondly remembered by those who built it, and by the crew who flew it and were carried safely home. During World War Two, it helped show that the concept of strategic bombing was effective, and that a military air force was as important as seas and ground forces. Its legacy in bringing an end to the largest conflict in history ensures that the B-17's legendary status will continue.
U.S. Army Air Forces operations in Europe began late in 1942 and focused on tactical targets. Even with the B-17's improved armament of nose and tail gun turrets, aircraft losses were so high that commanders planned nighttime raids. When the long-range North American P-51 Mustang fighter was introduced to escort the bombers in late 1943, the balance of power tipped in the Allie's favor. B-17s started bombing inland industrial targets in late 1943 and continued until Germany surrendered in May 1945.
The B-17 at Home
In the month leading up to the U.S. entry into World War Two, military orders for Boeing B-17 bombers increased. The Boeing Company and other manufacturers around the country were not prepared for the increased demand in production. Company leaders turned to the automobile industry as a model for high-volume mass production.
Ramping up production required multiple shifts. The need for troops to fight the war greatly reduced the number of men available for industrial production. Seeking an alternative workforce, manufacturers across the country turned to women. Nearly 50 percent of all Boeing employees were women when wartime aircraft production peaked in 1943.
After Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, military and civilian authorities feared industrial plants on the U.S. west coast were in danger of similar attacks. Barrage balloons and antiaircraft batteries sprouted around airfields and factories. Hollywood set designers attempted to disguise factory buildings, including Boeing Plant 2, with camouflage that made them look like city streets and homes when seen from above.