There is no joy in Mudville B-17 goes down.

[TommyK]

Sad news in the aviation world. Luckily, or fortunately, the pilot saved all souls aboard. Not so the venerable WWII bomber:

 

http://www.suntimes.com/5936097-417/world-war-ii-plane-makes-crash-landing-near-oswego.html

[charlie brown]

That's sad! B-17's were amazing airplanes, for their time.

While in High School, I worked for a man, that was a B-17

pilot during WWII. And, my next door neighbor, and father's

best friend, was a B-25 pilot, as well. Interesting stories,

from both of those otherwise quiet, unassuming, men. They

never talked about it, unless you pressed them, and really

wanted to hear. Even then, I'm sure it was "edited," for

young ears. But, even so, the stories were fascinating.

 

CB

[Mark]

That plane made appearances at Dupage Airport and Aurora Airport for the last few years.

I toured the plane but to fly in it was an insane amount of money.

Sad to see it go.

 

I will never forget the sound it made, you could hear it for miles

[Mark]

So now I see that it was a working replica, maybe not the same plane I was on.

[ShredAstaire]

Maybe I just don't understand, but that article said it was a replica...

[Mark]

Yea too me there is a big difference between restored and replica.

[Windmills Optional]

My understanding from another article was that it was the real deal, just built late in the war so it never saw combat, and was sold for scrap after the war ended before eventually being restored. The current owner named it for the B 17 his dad flew in in combat. I saw it fly overhead along the Chicago lakefront a couple of summers ago when it was doing flights out of an airport near here and the sound was pretty memorable.

[TommyK]

Maybe I just don't understand, but that article said it was a replica...

 

The nose art was replica. One story says it was built just before the end of the war and never left the country. It was ferried out west for scrapping purposes, but was saved to be used as a test mule for air plane engines, some jet engines as well. It spent time in a museum, then ended up in the hands of private owners when the museum was destroyed by a tornado.

 

If you drill into the article, there are pictures of it. Everything from the wings to just aft of the waste gun doors is a puddle of solidified aluminum on the ground.

 

One article says there are only 11 working examples left.

[ne14t?]

Well I know its bad to say this but it was only a plane if they can always make a new one even if it is a replica its not like they need a fully functioning B-17, the most important thing is nobody died or got seriously injured.

[SG FAN]

When they say replica, they mean it was post world war 2 surplus and it never saw combat, but it was a real B-17. They just painted it up like a combat era bomber. It's a sad loss. And no, they can't just make another, the machinery they built them on is long gone. It's like someone smashing an original 59 burst, it's gone forever :(

[ne14t?]

When they say replica, they mean it was post world war 2 surplus and it never saw combat, but it was a real B-17. They just painted it up like a combat era bomber. It's a sad loss. And no, they can't just make another, the machinery they built them on is long gone. It's like someone smashing an original 59 burst, it's gone forever :(

 

Gone historically yes, the plane was originally made by Boeing a company which is still very much active. I am sure if they wanted to they could produce another B-17 but the cost to make one would be more then you would make off of flying 5 or 6 people around for $400 a pop, Gibson has reissued the 59 burst a few times but as in both situations there is no historical value to it.

[SG FAN]

Gone historically yes, the plane was originally made by Boeing a company which is still very much active. I am sure if they wanted to they could produce another B-17 but the cost to make one would be more then you would make off of flying 5 or 6 people around for $400 a pop, Gibson has reissued the 59 burst a few times but as in both situations there is no historical value to it.

And your point is??? They COULD build another one, I guess, but it wouldn't be an original B-17. Just like they build 59 reissue Les Pauls, but they ain't an original 59 LP. Once the originals are gone, they're gone...end of story.

[TommyK]

And Les Paul was just a man. They're making millions of them every day.

[Andy R]

In theory.... wouldn't anything built after the original just be a replica???? So all those 58 59 etc... Les Pauls are just Replicas!!!! Those F^&^ing B*&&^erds!!!!!!!!! They have been selling us replicas for years!!!!!!

[jnastynebr]

Gone historically yes, the plane was originally made by Boeing a company which is still very much active. I am sure if they wanted to they could produce another B-17 but the cost to make one would be more then you would make off of flying 5 or 6 people around for $400 a pop, Gibson has reissued the 59 burst a few times but as in both situations there is no historical value to it.

Wiki states that there are only 51 B-17s left in the world, which makes them much more rare than a sunburst. Take away the partial frames, and there are 32.

 

There are a total of 51 surviving airframes worldwide:

10 active flying

9 on static display

2 currently undergoing restoration to fly

3 currently undergoing restoration for display

5 in storage

19 partial airframes/hulks