B-17G 44-83525 "Suzy Q" at Fantasy of Flight

[spriso]

While I was at the Fantasy of Flight museum, I got a chance to visit their "Golden Hill Storage Facility" (across the road) where I was able to see the B-29 Fertile Myrtle, but another nice surprise was finally being able to see 44-83525 "Suzy Q". Not too many images of this aircraft on the net, so I thought that I would show how it looks today.



On the fuselage they had this image of the aircraft after Hurricane Andrew was done with it (I had never seen this one before!):





The interior was pretty stripped out:





Wings are stored nearby:



I was very excited to see this aircraft-- one that I was quite certain that was not going to get off my "B-17 bucket list"... it is safe, dry and out of the weather-- hopefully it will grace the skies again.

Michael

[RV8er]

Beautiful pics, thanks!

I'm always curious to see more of 83525 "Suzy-Q" since, as you said, there are very few pics of this airframe to be found. This was the first B-17 I got to see up close; as a kid back around 1977-79 on a family road trip we stopped by Burchinal's strip in Paris to poke around and look at his fleet. I recall seeing a Skyraider, FG-1D Corsair, P-51D, B-25 with "Ruptured Duck" nose art, F9F Panther, A4D Skyhawk, F-86D, and numerous others; but the big one I remember was this B-17. Got to wander around it and a tour of the interior... pretty cool stuff for a fledgling warbird junkie.

Last time I saw this ship was in 1987 or so, parked across town at Paris Municipal after a failed ferry attempt to Miami... and I didn't even have a camera. Shame on me.

[Steve Nelson]

I still have an old audio cassette tape of a TV show featuring this aircraft (this was in the late 70s pre-VCR days.) It was some sports show, where professional rodeo rider and GA pilot Larry Mahan visited Mr. Birchinal's place, and flew with him in a Stearman, T-6, P-51 and the B-17..still wearing her "Balls of Fire" nose art from "1000 Plane Raid." It was cool getting to see her in person last summer..unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time at Golden Hill, and I only got a quick look (there's a LOT to see, and I was trying to take in as much as possible!)

SN

[JohnB]

Aw part of the military response to Hurrican Andrew, I saw the aircraft immediatly after the storm as shown above.
I was hovering in a PAVEHAWK and from 100 feet up, she didn't look that bad...roughed up certainly, but far from mortal woumds.

I can't sawy I recall the C-60 next to it. After we landed, I got a chance to see Mr. Weeks supervising the removal of a hangar roof truss that came down on either side of his Corsair. It, the Duck and (IIRC) a Tigercat were lightly damaged. Sadly, I walked over to a ball of tubing and had to ask someone what it was....he said "P-12".

[p51]

I worked at a newspaper in Tallahassee when Andrew came a'calling to South Florida. I remember putting a shot into the paper of their B-23 sitting on RR tracks if memory serves. I was surprised how good a condition that plane looked, considering how far it'd been tossed.

[Steve Nelson]

I remember reading somewhere that the B-23 'flew' about a mile, and even though recovery crews got to it fairly quickly, looters had already stolen the seats.

SN

[b747cf]

Here is Suzy Q when she was at the Flying Tigers Museum at Kissimmee around 1977.



Mark Fidler

[gary1954]

I worked at a newspaper in Tallahassee when Andrew came a'calling to South Florida. I remember putting a shot into the paper of their B-23 sitting on RR tracks if memory serves. I was surprised how good a condition that plane looked, considering how far it'd been tossed.

Speaking of that B-23, back in the 90's I was over at the airport in Griffin, Georgia and the center section was being rebuilt at a facility there. I don't know if they ever finished it, where it went, or what the status of Weeks' B-23 is or where it is, if it even is.

[Steve Nelson]

The B-23 fuselage is currently in the Golden Hill hanger near the B-17. The C-60 fuselage is also in there..at least it was last summer.

SN

[Baldeagle]

Suzy Q on a "normal" Florida day at the old Weeks Air Museum, in April, 1992-


Maybe I'll pull out my hurricane photos and scan them too...




-

[gemmer]

The original Suzy Q was an early E model that flew with the 93rd BS, 19th BG in 1942. The nose art is the 93rd logo.

Duane

[jaybird]

There was a plain dark olive colored B-17 on the end of the runway by I-4 this afternoon with all 4 engines running. I don't know how far along the restoration is, but was this Suzie Q or did I see a different 17? FOF is closed on Wed or else I would have stopped.

[Jerry O'Neill]

FYI, the B-17 you saw at FOF is the "Movie Memphis Belle. It's there to be part of a film a out the "Swamp Ghost".

[jaybird]

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks Jerry.

[JimH]

Suzy Q is a true Fantasy of Flight