Cool photo find: B-17F from Best Years of Our Lives

[Chris Brame]

At Aero Vintage, Dan Johnson recently posted a terrific photo of a large formation of sixteen B-17F and G trainers based out of Rapid City AAF in South Dakota, all carrying the "RC" tail code. As I was looking at the images of individual planes, one plane's serial looked familiar:



Sure enough, it turned out to be 42-3463, the plane Dana Andrews climbs into in the scrapyard scene in the movie The Best Years of Our Lives:


The Round ? Trip name and mission markings were added by the studio; '463 spent its career as a stateside trainer. As far as I know, this is the first photo of it in service that has turned up.

See more here:
http://www.aerovintage.com/forum/viewto ... f=1&t=4503

[lucky52]

Now that is pretty cool.

[CoastieJohn]

Good find!

[Jerry O'Neill]

Awesome find!

[Richard W.]

Good eye.

I love that movie.