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B-17 Flying Fortress Surviving Aircraft: King Bee
B-17G Flying Fortress "King Bee" S/N 44-83559
B-17G Flying Fortress, S/N 44-83559, is on display at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska, between Omaha and Lincoln.
The bomber was manufactured by Douglas in Long Beach, California, and received by the U.S. Army Air Force on April 5, 1945.
In May of 1958 it was dropped from USAF inventory, and placed as a museum piece at Patrick AFB, Florida. The Air Force later reassigned the plane to the Strategic Air Command & Space Museum at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, the headquarters of SAC. The Fortress was flown to the Museum in May 1959, and has been on continuous display ever since.
The photos below were taken in September of 2018. It is a very well done restoration, and we highly recommend a visit to the Strategic Air Command & Space Museum to see it up close and personal!
For information about touring the museum, we recommend a visit to the website of the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum.
Other Surviving B-17 Flying Fortresses
A total of 39 surviving B-17 airframes are located in the United States. Eight (8) B-17s are still airworthy today. An additional eighteen (18) B-17s are on static display around the United States, and thirteen (13) aircraft are undergoing restoration or are in storage.
Seven (7) more B-17s are located in the UK, France and Brazil.
B-17 Flying Fortress "King Bee" Photographs
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, S/N 44-83559, on display at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum, Ashland, Nebraska |
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, S/N 44-83559, at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum |
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Cockpit and nose view of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, S/N 44-83559, at the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum |
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View from the rear, of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, S/N 44-83559 |
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Tail section of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, S/N 44-83559 |
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