B-17 Flying Fortress Surviving Aircraft

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.

The Fate of the B-17 Flying Fortress After World War II

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.

Aerial view of B-17 Flying Fortresses in storage at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, in November, 1945

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

 

B-17 Flying Fortress "D-Day Doll" headed for the furnaces at Kingman AAF after WWII

 

 

List of Surviving B-17 Flying Fortresses in the U.S.

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:

• Eight (8) B-17 planes are airworthy, such as "Sentimental Journey" and "Aluminum Overcast".
• Eighteen (18) B-17s are on static display around the United States, such as "Virgin's Delight" in Atwater, California, "Miss Liberty" at the Global Power Museum at Barksdale AFB, and "Memphis Belle" at the Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
• Thirteen (13) aircraft are undergoing restoration or are in storage in the U.S.

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 CA
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 FL
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

List of Surviving B-17s Outside the United States

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

 

Original Photos of B-17 Flying Fortress Bombers

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"

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "I'll Be Around" at the 390th Memorial Museum, Tucson View more photos of "I'll Be Around"

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Miss Liberty" S/N 231340 at the Barksdale Global Power Museum View more photos of "Miss Liberty"

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-17F "Boeing Bee" - S/N 42-29782 - Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA View more photos of "Boeing Bee"

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

Nose art on the B-17G Flying Fortress "Starduster" at the March Field Air Museum in California

Photos of Other B-17 Flying Fortress Survivors

Nose art painted on Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress "Aluminum Overcast" operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)

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

Nose art on Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Heavens Above" at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas