B-17 75th anniversary at EAA AirVenture 2010

B-17 'FLYING FORTRESS' 75TH ANNIVERSARY PART OF BIG CELEBRATION AT EAA

AIRVENTURE 2010

 

Exact 75th anniversary date of first flight arrives during Oshkosh gala

 

      EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wis. - (Jan. 25, 2010) - The Boeing

B-17 "Flying Fortress," perhaps the most readily recognized bomber of

the World War II era, will be center stage for its 75th anniversary

during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010, "The World's Greatest Aviation

Celebration," on July 26-August 1 at Wittman Regional Airport in

Oshkosh.

 

      Only about 15 of the iconic aircraft remain airworthy anywhere in

the world, including EAA's renowned "Aluminum Overcast," which brings

aviation history to the public through its annual national tours.

Potentially, at least four B-17s could be present at Oshkosh as the

exact 75th-anniversary date of the B-17's first flight on July 28, 1935,

comes during AirVenture.

 

      "We are making the call to all B-17 owners to join us at Oshkosh

this year for an unmatched celebration of this 75th anniversary," said

Tom Poberezny, EAA president and AirVenture chairman.  "The B-17 is

well-known to the public through its military service, as well as

through movie and television productions made over the past 70 years.

Nothing can match seeing and hearing these magnificent airplanes in

person, especially when a significant number can gather in one place.

The natural place for this celebration is AirVenture, where this year we

are also organizing a major national Salute to Veterans program."

 

     A special schedule of flyovers and ground programs will be part of

the B-17 75th anniversary commemoration, along with an evening program

on Wednesday, July 28 - 75 years to the day of the B-17's first test

flight.  In addition, B-17s will participate in the Warbirds shows on

several days during AirVenture 2010.

 

     According to Boeing Aircraft historians, the B-17 went from its

design as the Model 299 prototype to flight testing in less than 12

months.  The B-17 was a low-wing monoplane that combined aerodynamic

features of the XB-15 bomber and the Model 247 transport. The B-17 was

the first Boeing military aircraft with a flight deck instead of an open

cockpit, and was armed with bombs and five .30-caliber machine guns

mounted in clear "blisters."

 

     The first B-17s saw combat in 1941, when the British Royal Air

Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. The

B-17E, the first mass-produced model Flying Fortress, carried nine

machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. It was several tons heavier

than the prototypes and bristled with armament. It was the first Boeing

airplane with the distinctive tail for improved control and stability

during high-altitude bombing. Each version was more heavily armed.

 

     Boeing plants built a total of 6,981 B-17s in various models, and

another 5,745 were built under a nationwide collaborative effort by

Douglas and Lockheed (Vega). Most B-17s were scrapped at the end of

World War II. Some of the last Flying Fortresses met their end as target

drones in the 1960s - destroyed by Boeing-built military missiles. EAA's

"Aluminum Overcast," fortunately, was saved from the scrap heap when it

was originally purchased as surplus for $750 in the mid-1940s.

 

      EAA AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH is The World's Greatest Aviation

Celebration and EAA's yearly membership convention.  Additional EAA

AirVenture information, including advance ticket and camping purchase,

is available online at www.airventure.org.  EAA members receive lowest

prices on admission rates.  For more information on EAA and its

programs, call 1-800-JOIN-EAA (1-800-564-6322) or visit www.eaa.org.

Immediate news is available at http://twitter.com/EAAupdate.