| Of all the heavy bombers that flew in WWII, the | | | | attack on a formation of B-17s without numerous |
| B-17 Flying Fortress was without a doubt one of | | | | holes in the fuselage of his aircraft. Most of the |
| the two most famous, the other being the | | | | bombers of any type downed by fighters were |
| Lancaster. The prototype first flew in 1935 but it | | | | stragglers; those that could not maintain or regain |
| would be another five years before the B-17 was | | | | their position in formation as a result of damage |
| delivered in any quantity. They first saw action | | | | from flak encountered during their bombing |
| with the RAF in 1941. The first order filled by | | | | runs.Built mostly over 3 years from mid-1942 to |
| Boeing was for 39 B-17Bs with turbo-charged | | | | mid-1945, these four engine heavy bombers once |
| Wright Cyclone radial engines. The 17C followed | | | | filled the skys. Workers across the US built a total |
| with seven machine guns instead of the original | | | | of 12,731 B-17s. After the war, several dozen |
| five; this modification together with better armor | | | | B-17s lived on as fire-bombers and aerial |
| and self-sealing tanks in the 17d resulted from | | | | surveyors until the last one was retired in the |
| lessons learned in the early bombing raids over | | | | 1970s. Today, a few B-17s have been restored |
| Europe. The B-17E and 17F soon followed with a | | | | to their wartime splendor. Eleven are currently |
| larger tail. The final version came out when | | | | flying in the United States, one in the UK and |
| head-on attacks by enemy fighters proved to be | | | | another one in France.Keeping a B-17 flying these |
| a definite problem, which the B-17G countered | | | | days is an expensive proposition. Someone once |
| with a chin turret with dual machine guns. This | | | | said that a B-17 operates on gas, oil and money. |
| gave the B-17 a defensive armament of 13 | | | | Especially money. A B-17 will easily burn 200 |
| machine guns in all.The Flying Fortress flew with a | | | | gallons of fuel per hour, plus about 10 gallons of oil |
| crew of ten in the 17G model. These were: Pilot, | | | | per hour. Consumables and wear items cost an |
| Co-pilot, Bombardier, Nose Gunner, Flight Engineer | | | | estimated $3,000 per flight hour. For each hour a |
| Top Turret Gunner, Radio Operator/Gunner, Ball | | | | Flying Fortress spends in the air, ten are spent on |
| Turret Gunner, Right Waist Gunner, Left Waist | | | | the ground in maintenance. An engine overhaul can |
| Gunner and Tail Gunner.The B-17 was a heavy | | | | cost $40,000 and FAA required wing-spar |
| aircraft weighing in at 36,000 lbs, with a maximum | | | | inspections and repairs will cost each Flying |
| takeoff weight of 65,500 lbs. With a wing span of | | | | Fortress in excess of $100,000.Consequently |
| 103ft 9in, the length was 74ft 4in while the roof | | | | operating a B-17 is more than any one person can |
| of the cockpit sat 19 feet above ground. The | | | | do. As a result, foundations own most of them, |
| Fortress could operate at 35,800 feet although | | | | or museums set up specifically to keep the Flying |
| best operating altitude was in the 25,000 foot | | | | Fortress in the air. These organizations are partly |
| range where it could achieve its maximum speed | | | | funded by corporate donations and air show fees, |
| of 287 mph. With a cruising speed of 182 mph, it | | | | but most depend on touring. A B-17 tour will take |
| could carry a 6000 lb bomb load with a range of | | | | the Flying Fortress from city to city across the |
| 2,000 miles. Its maximum bomb load was actually | | | | USA and Canada, where she will be on display for |
| about 17,000 lbs but this was with a minimum fuel | | | | tours and a lucky few have a chance to take a |
| load on a short-range raid.The Flying Fortresses | | | | flight on the B-17. If you hear that a B-17 tour is |
| flew in defensive formations that presented an | | | | stopping in your city, please do go check it out, |
| overall curtain of withering machine gun fire to | | | | contribute a few dollars and consider taking a B-17 |
| enemy fighters. One German F-109 pilot who shot | | | | flight. You'll find it will be the thrill of a lifetime. |
| down 28 fighters but only four light bombers (not | | | | Keep 'em flying. |
| B-17s), said that he never returned from an | | | | |