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''Piccadilly Lilly II'' (s/n 44-83684) was the last active B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in the United States Air Force, and retired in 1959 after nine years as a DB-17P drone director. She is currently part of Edward T. Maloney's aviation collection and is being restored to flying condition at the Planes of Fame air museum, Chino, California. This aircraft was possibly the last aircraft assigned to the 8th AF / 447th Bomb Group but perhaps not delivered (Freeman).〔(447th BG aircraft )〕 This aircraft was used in the Dick Powell Theatre episode "Squadron," and The Quinn Martin production of Twelve O'Clock High starring Robert Lansing and Paul Burke. She was redressed to represent the numerous aircraft which comprised the mythical 918th Bomb Group. She also appeared in The Thousand Plane Raid as well as Black Sheep Squadron.〔(Planes of Fame Museum B-17 Page )〕 ==History== In August 1959, only days after flying her last mission for the U.S. Air Force, ''Piccadilly Lilly II'' was officially retired from active service as the last of 12,731 B-17s to serve with the USAAF / U.S. Air Force. ''Piccadilly Lilly II'' was built in May 1945 in Long Beach, California by Douglas Aircraft under license from Boeing. She was accepted into service on May 7, 1945, and placed into storage on May 11, 1945, since the War in Europe had ended on May 8, 1945. She remained in storage through June 21, 1950, when her designation was changed from B-17G to DB-17G. She then went on to serve from 1950 through 1956 with the 3200th and 3205th Drone Group and Proof Test Wing at Elgin AFB, Holloman AFB and Eniwetok Atoll. Her mission was as a drone controller and was used to monitor the Greenhouse Series of nuclear testing at Eniwetok Atoll in the 1950s. ''Piccadilly Lilly II's'' designation was changed again in November 1956 from DB-17G to DB-17P and was used as a drone controller at Holloman AFB with the 3225th Drone Squadron from 1956 through 1959. Her last mission was on August 6, 1959, when she controlled a QB-17G 44-83717 drone as a target for a Falcon air-to-air missile fired by an F-101B Voodoo jet fighter. A few days later she was officially retired in a ceremony at Holloman AFB; the last B-17 to serve in the U.S. Air Force. ''Piccadilly Lilly II'' became a part of the Planes of Fame collection on September 24, 1959, which was then located in Claremont, CA. Planes of Fame founder Edward Maloney wasted no time and put her to work right away appearing on TV’s “Dick Powell Theater" in a program about the famed 100th (The Bloody Hundredth) Bomb Group. She later became known as Piccadilly Lilly II when she was used in the popular 1960’s TV series Twelve O’clock High. She was flown by Planes of Fame from 1959 through 1971. During those years she starred in many Hollywood productions including the 1969 movie The Thousand Plane Raid. Sadly in 1971 she was grounded and has been on display since then at Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino CA. 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「Piccadilly Lilly II」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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