The decision to stop factory painting unless otherwise advised on an individual basis was initiated in October 1943. By January 1944 all planes coming off the production line were not painted.
When did the U.S. stop using B-17?
The last operational USAF B-17 mission was on 6 August 1959, when DB-17P 44-83684 (Originally a Douglas/Long Beach B-17G-90-DL) directed QB-17G 44-83717 which was expended as a target for an AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile fired from an F-101 Voodoo, near Holloman AFB, New Mexico.
When was the last B-17 retired?
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
| B-17 Flying Fortress | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| First flight | 28 July 1935 |
| Introduction | April 1938 |
| Retired | 1968 (Brazilian Air Force) |
How many B-17s are still flyable?
How many B-17s are still flying? There are fewer than 40 B-17s left in the country, of which less than a dozen are still airworthy, according to the B-17 Alliance Foundation.
Why did the Air Force stop painting their planes?
Paint adds weight, cost and drag: at the extreme, the RAF tested a paint finish that made night-fighters nearly invisible in searchlight beams. Worked fairly well, but it took 20-30mph off the aircraft’s top speed from the weight and drag of the sooty black paint, so it wasn’t used.
How much is a B-17 worth?
The four-engine (1200 hp each) Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber, which cost over $200,000 each in 1940 (the equivalent of about $3,000,000 in today’s market), was a key component of the United States Army Air Forces’ (USAAF) World War II strategy in Western Europe.
Did the B-17 have a toilet?
During World War 2, large bomber aircraft, such as the American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the British Avro Lancaster, carried chemical toilets (basically a bucket with seat and cover, see bucket toilet); in British use, they were called “Elsans” after the company that manufactured them.
What was the most famous B-17?
The Memphis Belle
The Memphis Belle is a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress used during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress and the 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle.
What was better B-17 or B-24?
The B-24 was a faster plane having a greater range and payload capacity. However, in the ETO, the B-24 operated with the B-17 which constrained the aircraft’s operating speed. The B17 was a sedate aircraft and placed fewer demands on the flight deck crew. The B-17 was also an easier aircraft to fly in formation.
Did B-17 ever sink a ship?
The first great success attributed to the B-17 was the sinking of the Japanese battleship Haruna off Luzon during the invasion of the Philippines, by a Fortress piloted by Colin Kelly, who thereby became one of the first American popular heroes of World War Two.
Are there any ww2 planes still flying?
The Collings’ two-seat TF-51D is only one the few Mustangs with flight controls for the passenger, and the Foundation’s B-24J is the only one of its kind still flying. The Boeing B-17 is one of only about a 15 still flying.
Can a B-17 fly on 1 engine?
It had a crew of ten and could carry 6,000 pounds of bombs at 300 miles per hour for a range of 2,000 miles. Its famous nickname came from the fact it carried 13 . 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns for protection, and had a legendary toughness for carrying its crew home on one engine or even with the tail shot away.
What replaced the B-17 bomber?
Liberators served in all theaters of WWII and in all branches of the US military. While the B-17 was preferred by the Americans in Europe, it was almost entirely replaced in the Pacific by the Liberator, which had a much greater range.
Does the Air Force still allow nose art?
In 1993 the USAF Air Mobility Command declared that all nose art should be gender-neutral. Nose art must now be approved by their respective major command. Today, most artwork in peacetime honors previous units or is patriotically focused.
Why did the blue Angels not fly F 14?
“I did not want an F-14 with all the weapons control systems in it; that was wasteful.” After proposing his idea to Grumman, they decided that it would cost more to make an airplane without the systems than it would to make one with them. Cost became the determining factor, and the F-14 idea went by the wayside.
Why are all fighter jets grey?
Most of the military aircrafts are painted grey in colour in order to reduce their visual signature in sky and in turn increase the visual stealth of aircraft.
What was the life expectancy of a B-17 crew?
Nothing in the peacetime lives of thousands of young Americans had prepared them for the violence that lay ahead. Although such statistics were not circulated among Army Air Forces crews, the average life expectancy of an Eighth Air Force B-17 in late 1943 was 11 missions.
How many B-17 were lost in ww2?
4,735
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engine heavy bomber used by the United States Army Air Forces and other Allied air forces during World War II. Of the 12,731 aircraft built, approximately 4,735 were lost during the War.
Who shot down the most German planes in ww2?
Erich Hartmann
While serving in Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, Erich Hartmann flew more than 1,400 missions in the Messerschmitt Bf 109, enabling him to score an astonishing 352 kills. How did Hartmann get so good at dominating the skies over the Eastern Front?
Nevertheless, Commander Clarence W. Stoddard found a creative way to protest his assignment. On November 5 1965, crew members aboard the USS Enterprise engaged in a secret operation. They removed a malfunctioning toilet from the aircraft carrier, then modified it to fit under the wing of a A-1H Skyraider.
Why did we drop a toilet on Vietnam?
The toilet was a damaged one that was going to be thrown overboard anyway. But some plane captains decided to rescue it, dress it up to look like a bomb, and drop it in commemoration of the 6 million pounds of ordnance that had been dropped by the U.S. Air Force.