How many B-17 planes are left?
Today, 46 planes survive in complete form, 10 of which are airworthy, and 39 of which reside in the United States.
What engine does a B-17 have?
The B-17’s armament consisted of five .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750 hp (600 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m).
Are any crew members of the Memphis Belle still alive?
Robert Hanson, the last surviving crew member of the famed Memphis Belle B-17 bomber of World War Two, has died of congestive heart failure. He was 85. Hanson and his wife, Irene, had moved from Arizona to Albuquerque recently to be close to their daughter.
Where is the real Memphis Belle?
It is currently preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. It was donated in April 1990.
When was the first B-17 made?
Gansz, David M. B-17 Production – Boeing Aircraft: 26 February 1944 – 25 April 1944 B-17G-50 to G-60 42-102379 – 42-102978. New Jersey: First Mountain Belgians, 2013.
What is a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress?
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry (prototype Model 299/XB-17) outperformed both competitors and exceeded the Air Corps’ performance specifications.
What is the best book on the Boeing B-17?
“Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: Queen of the Skies”. Wings of Fame. Volume 6, 1997, pp. 38–103. London: Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-874023-93-X. ISSN 1361-2034. Hoffman, Wally and Philippe Rouyer. La guerre à 30 000 pieds [Available only in French]. Louviers, France: Ysec Editions, 2008. ISBN 978-2-84673-109-6.
How many B-17s were in Pearl Harbor?
On 7 December 1941, a group of 12 B-17s of the 38th (four B-17C) and 88th (eight B-17E) Reconnaissance Squadrons, en route to reinforce the Philippines, was flown into Pearl Harbor from Hamilton Field, California, arriving while the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was going on.