|
''Aluminum Overcast'', B-17G-105-VE, s/n 44-85740, civil registration ''N5017N'', is one of only ten presently airworthy Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 48 complete surviving airframes in existence. It never saw combat, and it escaped the fate of many aircraft that were scrapped after World War II. It is owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and, as of 2014, it is still touring the United States and Canada offering flight experiences. Through its association as the "flagship" of the EAA, ''Aluminum Overcast'' has become one of the most recognizable examples of the B-17, due to its extensive touring schedule with over one million flight miles accumulated. The overhaul and restoration of the airframe took more than 10 years and thousands of hours by staff and volunteers at EAA Oshkosh, Wisconsin, headquarters.〔Thompson 2010, p. 26.〕 ''Aluminum Overcast'' carries the colors of the 398th Bomb Group of World War II, which flew hundreds of missions over Nazi-held territory during the war. ''Aluminum Overcast'' commemorates B-17G AAF Serial No. 42-102516, shot down over France in 1944.〔("The B-17 ''Aluminum Overcast''." ) ''b17.org'' Retrieved: 18 May 2007.〕 ==History== B-17G-105-VE, 44-85740 was built by the Vega Division of Lockheed Aircraft Company and delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on 18 May 1945, too late to serve in Europe where most B-17s were destined.〔O'Leary 2001, p. 40.〕 Declared surplus and initially stored in New York, the aircraft was sent to Altus, Oklahoma on 7 November 1945 where, stripped of all military equipment, it was sold as "scrap" for $750 in 1946 to Metal Products. The aircraft was rescued when resold shortly after to Universal Aviation, for use as an aerial mapping platform, acquiring civil registration N5017N.〔O'Leary 2001, p. 41.〕 On 2 August 1947, the aircraft was sold to Charles T. Winters, of Miami, Florida, who, in turn, sold it on 16 August 1947, to Joe Lopez of the Vero Beach Import and Export Company who purchased the aircraft to serve as a cargo hauler, hauling cattle in Florida and Puerto Rico. Its new role necessitated removing the original radio compartment and floor, replacing it with a strengthened floor.〔Sturrock, Gordon. ("History of the ''Aluminum Overcast''." ) ''squadron13.com''. Retrieved: 7 August 2009.〕 In 1949, Aero Service Corporation bought the aircraft and turned it back into an aerial photography and surveying platform.〔 In this role, during the next 12 years, the B-17 carried out mapping operations over Arabia, Libya, Lebanon, Iran, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt and Jordan.〔 Its next role was in aerial application with first Chris Stolzhus and Associates in 1962, and then Dothan Aviation Corporation in 1966, where the aircraft had a chemical hopper and spray bars fitted under the wings.〔O'Leary 2008, p. 29.〕 After operating as a pest control, forest dusting and fire fighting aircraft, the aircraft wound up its postwar career in 1976.〔 In 1978, Dr. Bill Harrison, heading up "B-17s Around the World", funded the purchase of the aircraft, which had been parked in open storage in Dothan, Alabama for two years.〔 Renamed ''Aluminum Overcast,'' the name commemorates the 601st Bomb Squadron,〔("Outstanding Lineup Planned for Warbirds in Review." ) ''EAA Airventure News'', 2009. Retrieved: 7 August 2009.〕 398th Bomb Group (Heavy)'s B-17G #42-102516 that was shot down on its 34th combat mission over Le Manoir, France, on 13 August 1944.〔 Veterans of the 398th Bomber Group helped finance the bomber's restoration.〔O'Leary 2001, p. 42.〕 Harrison's group restored the B-17 to a near-wartime appearance, although no armament was installed, and flew the aircraft at numerous air shows across the United States.〔O'Leary 2008, p. 30.〕 As financing for maintenance and further restoration became difficult, more ambitious plans, such as an around-the-world goodwill flight, were shelved.〔O'Leary 1998, p. 39.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aluminum Overcast」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|