F
ew aircraft are as iconic or easily
identi able as the Boeing B-17
Flying Fortress. It was a symbol
of American technological and
industrial might during World War Two and –
for many looking skyward in Nazi-occupied
France and Belgium – a symbol of hope and
liberation.
Nearly 13,000 B-17s were built, with
wartime demand exceeding Boeing’s capacity
to produce them to such an extent that
competitors Lockheed and Douglas were putto work building Flying Fortresses for the US
Army Air Forces (USAAF) as well. Douglas
alone built 3,000 B-17s (605 ’Fs and 2,395
’Gs) at its plant in Long Beach, California.
One of these Douglas-built B-17Gs was
serial number 44-85314. It entered service
with the USAAF on March 13, 1945 serving
in the Paci c for the few remaining months
of the war. It never took part in any combat
missions as it was own to a staging area
for assignment to a unit, but the war ended
before this could happen.After the war the USAAF placed it into
storage in Japan until 1947, after which it
served for another 12 years. Its rst role
was in photo-mapping as an RB-17G at
Clark Field in the Philippines and later it was
engaged in air-sea rescue from Eglin Field,
Florida, as a DB-17G.
In its nal military con guration 44-
85314 ew as a DB-17P drone controller,
serving as an airborne control station for
unmanned Flying Fortresses during a series
of tests evaluating the blast and thermalNATIONAL
TREASURE
B -17G SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE
Joe Copalman tells the story of a Flying Fortress that
is regularly seen on the North American airshow circuit.
58 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft May 2016TREASURE
B -17G SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY
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