A B-17 time machine?
A B-17, one of 11 that are still operational
Chris Henry, museum programs manager for Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wis., is a former resident of Upper St. Clair Township.
The mid-Mon Valley, as seen from the tailgunner position of the B-17 that visited Allegheny County Airport in October 2004
This B-17, nicknamed “Fuddy Duddy,” visited Allegheny County Airport in 2004. The bomber now is housed in the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, Calif.
The B-17 airplane gained fame during World War II as the “Flying Fortress” of the U.S. Army Air Forces.
Production peaked at 12,731 during the war. Now, there are 11 airworthy B-17s, and one of them will be flying into Washington County Airport for tours and flights Sept. 9-11.
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s museum has 200 planes, but only one B-17 and it’s also the only one of association’s war planes that tours.
Chris Henry, 36, an Ambridge native and former resident of Upper St. Clair, is programs manager for the museum in Oshkosh, Wis., and he said the bomber’s mission is to “reunite World War II veterans with the plane they flew and served on during the war, also so those who have lost veterans can reconnect.
“It’s been a pretty powerful experience being associated with the B-17.”
This particular aircraft never came under enemy fire.
“Our airplane was built too late to enter WWII, so it did not enter combat,” Henry said. “It was sold as surplus for aerial spraying, crop dusting, things like that.” Henry said. A private citizen bought the plane in 1978 and donated it to the Experimental Aircraft Association, which restored its wartime configuration. This B-17 has been on tour off and on since 1994.
On Sept. 9-11, weather permitting, the B-17 will take to the air between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Flights will last approximately 45 minutes and cost between $435 and $475.
Ground tours are scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. Veterans and members of the active military will be admitted to ground tours at no charge. The cost to see the plane on the ground is $10 for individuals. Children ages 8 and under accompanied by an adult are admitted at no additional charge. Families including children up to age 17 will be charged $20.
“We’re a nonprofit,” Henry said of the Experimental Aircraft Association. “The only money we make off it is for insurance and fuel. Basically, the money goes around and back into the airplane again.”
The B-17 requires a special tire that is no longer mass-produced, and finding parts for the engine is becoming a challenge.
“The crew and the pilot are all volunteers,” he said. “We cover hotel and meals for them.”
William McGowen, executive director of the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which oversees the operation of the county airport, was an admiral and Naval aviator. He discussed the B-17’s visit, its second in about four years.
“I think it’s significant to educate our younger generation on what happened in World War II and the role that airplane played in both theaters, both Pacific and European, especially European,” he said. “And, it’s a good opportunity to keep history alive and make it real.”
So if there were once thousands of B-17s in use, what happened to all those planes?
The World War II Foundation website cites these figures from the Army Air Forces’ statistical digest for all aircraft, not just B-17s:
• In less than four years – December 1941 to August 1945 – the U.S. Army Air Forces lost 14,903 pilots, crew members and other personnel in 13,873 planes within the continental United States.
• Almost 1,000 Army planes disappeared en route from the U.S. to foreign countries.
• Overseas, 43,581 aircraft were lost.
• By the war’s end, more than 40,000 airmen were killed in combat theaters and another 18,000 were wounded. About 12,000 missing men were declared dead.
“The 8th Air Force lost more men in World War II than the entire Marine Corps,” Henry said. “That’s how dangerous it was to be on a daylight bombing raid in World War II.”
According to the World War II Database website, “Some B-17 bombers crash-landed or were forced down on German soil, and about 40 of them were put into service by the German Luftwaffe. They were designated ‘Do 200’ and were used in reconnaissance operations. A few of them kept their Allied markings and were sent to infiltrate Allied B-17 formations to report their position and altitude; initially successful, Allied airmen soon developed methods to challenge unidentified aircraft that tried to join their formations.
“Several B-17 bombers were also taken by the Soviets, who flew them in combat missions despite having little experience with them. Soviet opinion toward the B-17 design was generally favorable. Some remained in Soviet service until 1948,” the website states.