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 |
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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 |
ST |
|
Airworthy B-17s in the United States (8) |
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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" |
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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" |
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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" |
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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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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) |
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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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