Photo Contest With Actual Prize!!!

[Jack Cook]

Tell the story of this B-17 and I'll send you 10 4 x 6 nose art photos!!!
The photo pros better know airspeed and altitude to make it fair for all.

[mustangdriver]

The last Vega built B17's, now is restored and flies as Sally B.Sally B is the only B-17 flying in the United Kingdom and thus serves as a memorial of the U.S. 8th Air Force which fought from England in WWII and the American airmen who fought and died during that conflict.

Built as a Boeing B-17G-105-VE c/n 8693, the future Sally B was one of the last to be constructed by the Lockheed-Vega plant at Burbank, California. Accepted by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) as 44-85784 on 19 June 1945 it was too late to see war service, and was flown to Nashville for modifications. Converted for training purposes and re-designated TB-17G it was based at Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson AFB), Ohio from November that year.

Continuing in the care of 2750th Air Base Group (ABG), 44-85784 was selected for use as a research vehicle and in 1949 allocated EB-17G status. As such the B-17 was used in a variety of research roles, one of the most bizarre being the addition of a man-carrying pod on the starboard wingtip. Also fitted at the time was an infra-red tracking device in place of the Perspex nose. These trials continued for some years in a variety of guises and it was not until 1954 that ‘784 was returned to standard configuration, less armaments, at Hill AFB in Utah. No details have emerged of the trials which this aircraft was involved in.

In 1990, Sally B was redressed to depict Memphis Belle in the feature film of the same name, directed by Michael Caton-Jones. After the film shooting was over, she reverted back to show her "Sally B" titles on the starboard side, but has since retained the "Memphis Belle" logo on the port side.

Sally B continues to be flown at displays as a memorial to the 79,000 U.S. airmen who died fighting in the skies over Europe between 1942 and 1945.

[Jerry O'Neill]

I was going to say, "Sally B".

I'll take a stab at it anyway!
2500 feet, cruising at 170 knots?
Jerry

[Jack Cook]

Sally B s/n 44-85784

This is 43-38624 read s/n on tail

[Elwyn]

I wonder how much the performance improves without all of the turrets and guns?

[hang the expense]

Sqdn hack during the war.Somewhere I read where it was damaged beyond economical repair and written off.The mechanics had other ideas.I have not been drinking or maybe I should.

[ausflyboy]

Probably a BQ-7 used in Project Aphrodite

[bipe215]

92nd BG, 327th BS UX-W, secret mission June 1 1945. I'd tell you what it was, but then it wouldn't be a secret

Steve G

[51fixer]

As a guess- 1500'- 180 MPH.
Hauling POWs back after the war ended.
Rich

[Jack Cook]

92nd BG, 327th BS UX-W, secret mission June 1 1945

Yeah but the story continues......maybe a different hemisphere

[StyrenePilot1970]

Is this one of the B-17's used for hush hush work in Vietnam because the locals didn't think the B-17 looked like an American aircraft?

[Jack Cook]

anyone-anyone........
Bueller-Ferris Bueller

[Second Air Force]

General Doolittle didn't take that airplane to Guam when the 8th Air Force Headquarters moved, did he? (I'd think a new plane from the replacement depot would have been more likely, but the thought popped into my head.)

Scott

[Steve Nelson]

Could this be one of the three Forts that eventually found their way to Israel?

SN

[Jack Cook]

I'll let you guys torture yourselves till tomorrow evening.