Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 12, 1995 TAG: 9509120056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The "Flying Fortress," or B-17G, which helped exploit Hitler's weakness and tear down his fortress 50 years ago, paid a visit to Roanoke on Monday.
It was another fortress that helped exploit Hitler's weakness and tear down his stronghold 50 years ago: the "Flying Fortress" - a B-17G. On Monday one paid a visit to Roanoke.
The plane, one of six relics from the mighty fleet of World War II bombers, began a tour in August that will land in 26 cities by Oct. 25.
It often brings a cargo of powerful emotions and memories.
Co-pilot Ed Bowlin, an Atlanta member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, which owns the plane, said the best part of the tour is the people.
``Old crew members come out and start telling stories,'' Bowlin said. ``And their family members say 'I never knew that.'''
At Kansas City, Kan., a veteran simply came and stared at the plane during its first day of display.
Bowling said he began talking to the man and listened to his tale of flights in a similar B-17. The story ended with the man's description of being shot down on his 17th mission. All nine of his fellow crew members died that day.
On the second day, Bowlin said, the man visited again and went inside the plane. Once there, he simply cried.
The B-17's flight path through history is as distinct as the contrails the planes left across European skies during the war.
Designed, built, test-flown and delivered to the U.S. Army in less than a year, the B-17 was America's first four-engine bomber.
It represented an enormous financial risk for a West Coast aircraft manufacturer. Unveiled in 1935, its success put the company on stable financial ground and launched one of the most successful aircraft manufacturers in the world: Boeing.
The touring B-17G was among the last built and was delivered to the Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945 - too late to see action in WWII. The plane, built in Burbank, Calif., by Lockheed for Boeing, was donated to the EAA Aviation Foundation in the late 1970s to be restored and maintained.
Tour coordinator Bill Ammentorp estimated the plane's value at $1.5 million. Its annual upkeep takes nearly $500,000, plus hundreds of hours of volunteer labor.
Yet, this plane brought only $750 when a private company bought it as government surplus in 1946.
Carlos Hart of Salem was 171/2 when WWII ended and had never flown in a B-17 before Monday. He joined the U.S. Air Force in the early '50s and flew nine different planes during his five years, including the B-25, F-94 Starfire, F-89 Scorpion and T-33 jet trainer.
Zipped in his 42-year-old flight suit, he got a chance to fly this piece of history. For $475, $300 of which is a tax-deductible donation to the foundation, Hart took the controls of the B-17G for part of its flight from Winston-Salem, N.C., to Roanoke.
``I watched some of these old war movies and always wondered what it would be like to fly [a B-17],'' Hart said. ``It's really responsible more than any other plane for bringing Germany to its knees.''
Ammentorp described the feel of flying the B-17 as heavy compared to other planes.
``In rough air, it's an aerobic workout ... . There's no auto-pilot,'' he said.
The money raised by the paid flights - and tours while the plane is on the ground - is used by the foundation to restore and maintain the plane, one of many historical planes the EAA displays at its Oshkosh, Wis., museum.
Crew chief Don Coester of Pittsburgh credited the Roanoke Valley EAA members with setting up local appearances and helping make the tour financially successful.
The B-17G at Roanoke Regional Airport is nearly as complete as when bomber crews lifted off from the English countryside more than 50 years ago, featuring machine guns loaded with ammo, a Norden bomb sight and a radio operator station. The bomb bay is even loaded with replica bombs.
The typical Flying Fortress carried 13 .50-caliber machine guns to fend off enemy planes.
Not only was it well-armed, it was rugged. The B-17 was loved by crew members for its ability to take a beating and still return them safely home.
Frank A. Armstrong Jr., former commander of the 97th Bomb Group, said in an interview after the war, ``I am personally aware of the fact that a B-17 could absorb 3,000 bullets, fly with no rudder, and complete its combat mission on two engines. To me, the Flying Fortress was, and always will be, the 'Queen of the Sky.' I owe my life to the queen.''
In a production run that spanned nearly a decade, 12,731 planes were built. During the war, 4,900 B-17s were lost.
The B-17 will be on display today from noon until 7 p.m. Three flights are booked at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for paying passengers. A fourth may be scheduled if enough people show up in the early morning to book a seat. The plane's next stop is Newport News, then Cleveland, Ohio, and on to Oshkosh for a 100-hour inspection.
by CNB