Nearly 13,000 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were produced as part of the massive World War II military build-up.
It became one of the most famous, and successful, airplanes ever built.
However, following the end of World War II, the B-17 was quickly phased out of use as a bomber and the Army Air Forces retired most of its fleet.
Production ended in May 1945 and totaled 12,731. They were built by Boeing in Seattle (BO), Douglas Aircraft Co. (DL) in Long Beach, CA and Vega Aircraft Corp. (VE) in Burbank, CA.
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Flight crews ferried the bombers back across the Atlantic and Pacific to the United States where the majority were sold for scrap and melted down at disposal depots.
Some B-17s remained in use after the war in second-line roles such as VIP transports, air-sea rescue and photo-reconnaissance.
However, most B-17 airplanes ended their service, not in combat, but in the smelter at locations such as Kingman Army Air Field in Arizona and Walnut Ridge Army Air Field in Arkansas.
Rows of B-17 Flying Fortresses awaiting their final destiny at Kingman Army Airfield in Arizona after WWII: Scrapping |
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B-17 Flying Fortress "D-Day Doll" headed for the furnaces at Kingman AAF after WWII |
Today, a number of B-17s are located in the United States. The number varies from time to time as airframes enter restoration, or complete restoration or move to flight status. The current total of surviving B-17 bombers located in the United States stands at 39:
Shown below is a table listing the surviving Flying Fortresses, with the model number, serial number, name, restoration status, and city/state where each is located or based.
Model |
S/N |
Name |
Location or Owner |
Status |
City |
|
Airworthy B-17s in the United States (8) |
||||||
B-17G |
44-83514 |
Sentimental Journey![]() |
CAF Arizona Wing | Airworthy N9323Z |
Mesa AZ |
|
B-17G |
44-83546 |
Memphis Belle (Painted for movie - not the original)![]() |
Military Aircraft Restoration Corp (MARC) | Airworthy N3703G |
Chino CA |
|
B-17G |
44-85778 |
Miss Angela![]() |
Palm Springs Air Museum | Airworthy N3509G |
Palm Springs CA |
|
B-17G |
44-83563 |
Fuddy Duddy![]() |
Lyon Air Museum | Airworthy N9563Z |
Santa Ana CA |
|
B-17G |
44-85829 |
Yankee Lady![]() |
Yankee Air Museum | Airworthy N3193G |
Belleville MI |
|
B-17G |
44-8543 |
Madras Maiden (formerly) Chuckie![]() |
Erickson Aircraft Collection | Airworthy N3701G |
Madras OR |
|
B-17G |
44-85718 |
Thunderbird![]() |
Mid America Flight Museum | Airworthy N900RW Painted as 42-38050 |
Mount Pleasant TX |
|
B-17G |
44-85740 |
Aluminum Overcast![]() |
Experimental Aircraft Assoc. | Airworthy N5017N |
Oshkosh WI |
|
B-17s on Static Display in the United States (18) | ||||||
B-17G |
44-85828 |
I'll Be Around![]() |
390th Memorial Museum at the Pima Air and Space Museum | Static Display | Tucson AZ |
|
B-17G |
43-38635 |
Virgin's Delight![]() |
Castle Air Museum | Static Display | Atwater CA |
|
B-17G |
44-6393 |
Starduster![]() |
March Field Air Museum | Static Display | Moreno Valley CA |
|
B-17G |
44-85738 |
Preston's Pride![]() |
AMVETS Chapter 56 at Mefford Field | Static Display | Tulare |
|
B-17G |
44-83624 |
Sleepy Time Gal![]() |
Air Mobility Command Museum | Static Display | Dover DE |
|
B-17G |
44-83863 |
Unnamed![]() |
Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin Air Force Base | Static Display | Ft. Walton FL |
|
B-17G |
44-83542 |
Piccadilly Princess![]() |
Fantasy of Flight Museum | Static Display | Polk City |
|
B-17G |
44-83814 |
City of Savannah![]() |
Natonal Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force | Static Display | Pooler GA |
|
B-17G |
44-83884 |
Miss Liberty![]() |
Global Power Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base | Static Display (Painted as 42-31340) | Bossier City LA |
|
B-17E |
41-9032 |
My Gal Sal![]() |
National World War II Museum | Static Display | New Orleans LA |
|
B-17G |
44-83559 |
King Bee![]() |
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum | Static Display | Ashland NE |
|
B-17F |
42-3374 |
Homesick Angel![]() |
Offutt Air Force Base | Static Display (Painted as 42-30230) | Omaha NE |
|
B-17F |
41-24485 |
Memphis Belle![]() |
National Museum of the USAF | Static Display | Dayton OH |
|
B-17G |
42-32076 |
Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby![]() |
National Museum of the USAF | In Storage Pending display at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Washington, D.C. |
Dayton OH |
|
B-17G |
44-85599 |
Reluctant Dragon![]() |
Dyess Air Force Base | Static Display (Painted as 42-38133) | Abilene TX |
|
B-17G |
44-83512 |
Heavens Above![]() |
Lackland Air Force Base | Static Display | San Antonio TX |
|
B-17G |
44-83663 |
Short Bier![]() |
Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill AFB | Static Display | Ogden UT |
|
B-17F |
42-29782 |
Boeing Bee![]() |
Museum of Flight | Static Display N17W |
Seattle WA |
|
B-17s Being Restored or in Storage in the United States (13) | ||||||
B-17G |
44-83684 |
Piccadilly Lilly II![]() |
Planes of Fame Air Museum | Under Restoration to Air Worthiness (N3713G) | Chino CA |
|
B-17G |
44-83525 |
Suzy Q![]() |
Fantasy of Flight Museum | In Storage | Polk City FL |
|
B-17G |
44-83542 |
Picadilly Princess | Fantasy of Flight Museum | In Storage | Polk City FL |
|
B-17G |
44-83790 |
Unnamed | Don Brook | Under Restoration | Douglas GA |
|
B-17G |
44-83814 |
Unnamed | Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum | Under Restoration | Pooler GA |
|
B-17G |
44-83690 |
Miss Liberty Belle![]() |
Museum of Aviation | Under Restoration | Warner Robbins GA |
|
B-17E |
41-2446 |
Swamp Ghost![]() |
Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor | To Be Restored | Ford Island HI |
|
B-17G |
44-83785 |
Unnamed | Collings Foundation | Under Restoration to Air Worthiness | Stow MA |
|
B-17D |
40-3097 |
The Swoose![]() |
National Museum of the USAF | Under Restoration | Dayton OH |
|
B-17G |
44-85813 |
Champaign Lady![]() |
Champaign Aviation Museum, Grimes Field | Under Restoration to Air Worthiness | Urbana OH |
|
B-17G |
44-85790 |
Lacey Lady![]() |
B-17 Alliance Foundation, McNary Field | Under Restoration | Salem OR |
|
B-17E |
41-2595 |
Desert Rat![]() |
Vintage Aviation Museum | Under Restoration | Salt Lake City UT |
|
B-17E |
41-9210 |
Unnamed![]() |
Vulcan Warbirds, Inc. / Flying Heritage Collection | Under Restoration | Arlington WA |
B-17s Outside the United States (7) | ||||||
B-17G |
44-85784 |
Sally-B![]() |
Imperial War Museum | Airworthy | Duxford, UK | |
B-17G |
44-83735 |
Mary Alice![]() |
Imperial War Museum | Static Display | Duxford, UK | |
B-17G |
44-83868 |
Unnamed![]() |
Royal Air Force Museum | Static Display | London. UK | |
B-17G |
44-83718 |
Unnamed |
Museu Aeroespacial | Storage | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
B-17G |
44-85583 |
Unnamed | Recife Air Force Base | Static Display | Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil | |
B-17G |
44-8846 |
The Pink Lady![]() |
La Ferté -Alais Airfield Hangar | Airworthy; currently in storage | La Ferté -Alais, France | |
B-17G |
44-8889 |
Unnamed |
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace | Storage | Dugny, France |
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby", S/N, 42-32076, at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Pattersn AFB, Dayton, Ohio, awaiting transfer to the Udvar-Hazy Museum in Washington, D.C. View more photos of "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby" |
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "I'll Be Around" at the 390th Memorial Museum, Tucson View more photos of "I'll Be Around" |
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Miss Liberty" S/N 231340 at the Barksdale Global Power Museum View more photos of "Miss Liberty" |
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B-17G "Short Bier" - S/N 44-83663 - on display at the Hill Aerospace Museum in Ogden, Utah View more photos of "Short Bier" |
B-17 Flying Fortress "D-Day Doll" headed for the furnaces at Kingman AAF after WWII |
B-17G Flying Fortress "Virgin's Delight" - S/N 43-38635 - Castle Air Museum, Atwater, CA Read more about "Virgin's Delight" |
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, painted as S/N 230180, restored at the Air Force Armament Museum. Eglin AFB, Fort Walton, Florida |
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Nose art on the B-17G Flying Fortress "Starduster" at the March Field Air Museum in California |
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Nose art painted on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Aluminum Overcast" operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) |
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Photo of nose art on the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Sentimental Journey" restored and operated by the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force |
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Nose art on Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Heavens Above" at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas |
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