|
| Frustrated in their efforts to acquire a fleet of strategic bombers for service with the Army Air Corps, US Army planners - who were devotees of the theories expounded by Brig Gen William 'Billy' Mitchell - inserted the thin end of an important wedge when they ordered a small number of YB-17 prototypes in January 1936, ostensibly for the nation's defence. Originating as the Boeing Model 299, the prototype was built as a private venture, Boeing gambling heavily on producing a winner that would bring a large military contract. It must have seemed to Boeing that their gamble had failed when, almost at the end of the military trials, the Model 299 crashed on take-off. Fortunately investigation proved that the aircraft had been flown off with the flying controls locked and safety of the basic design was not suspect.
It was not until 1938 that the USAAC was able to place an order for 39 production B-17B, the last of this batch entering service in March 1940. These were the first B-17 production aircraft to be equipped with turbocharged engines, providing a higher maximum speed and much increased service ceiling. Of the B-17C which followed, a batch of 20 were supplied to the RAF (designated Fortress I) and used operationally in Europe for evaluation, leading to improved B-17D and B-17E aircraft with self-sealing fuel tanks and revised armour and armament.
The B-17E was truly a flying fortress, armed with one 7.62mm and 12 12.7mm machine-guns for defence and able to carry a maximum 7,983kg of bombs. Most extensively built variant was the B-17G (8,680), being built by Douglas and Lockheed Vega as well as at the Boeing plant, Seattle. Pratt & Whitney R-1820-97 radial engines and improved turbochargers enabled the B-17G to operate at an altitude of up to 10,670m; and the addition of a chin turret below the nose (containing two 12.7mm machine-guns) provided better defence against the head-on attacks being launched by Luftwaffe fighter pilots in their attempts to reduce the numbers of Fortresses striking daily at strategic targets deep in German territory.
Special variants included the B-40 with up to 30 machine-guns/cannons, which was intended as a B-17 escort, but proved to be an operational failure; BQ-7 pilotless aircraft packed with explosives to be deployed against German targets by radio control, which failed due to unreliable control equipment; CB-17 and C-108 transports; and F-9 long-range B-17 equipped to serve as an air-sea rescue aircraft and able to deploy a lifeboat carried beneath the fuselage.
In Britain, more than anywhere else in the world, the B-17 evokes vivid memories of courageous aircrew who day after day - despite sometimes horrific losses - continued to attack targets in Europe until victory was won. For Boeing, their private-venture gamble paid off: a total of 12,731 Fortresses were built by the Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed team.
| CREW | 11 |
| ENGINE | 4 x Wright-Cycl. GR-1820-97, 885kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 32720 kg | 72136 lb |
| Empty weight | 24900 kg | 54895 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 31.6 m | 104 ft 8 in |
| Length | 22.7 m | 75 ft 6 in |
| Height | 5.8 m | 19 ft 0 in |
| Wing area | 141.9 m2 | 1527.40 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 438 km/h | 272 mph |
| Cruise speed | 250 km/h | 155 mph |
| Ceiling | 10700 m | 35100 ft |
| Range | 2980 km | 1852 miles |
| ARMAMENT | 13 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 8000kg of bombs |
 | A three-view drawing (1000 x 927) |
| jim robinson, e-mail, 29.12.2010 06:10 I have always been curious of what the emblem is on a B-17
yolk. I see photos of the cockpit and this emblem is very
visible as show in front of the pilot. Fascinating aircraft. reply | | Phil Grubb, e-mail, 20.12.2010 02:37 Recently read a great book called "The Bomber Boys" by Travis L. Ayers. Several great personal accounts of what these brave young airmen went through while flying in the B-17s. reply | | Tony Close, e-mail, 15.12.2010 07:52 Dominic - sorry, but the aircraft hikacked in Thunderball was a Vickers Vulcan, significantly later in technology than the B-17 (produced 1956 - 1965). reply | | Tony Close, e-mail, 15.12.2010 07:52 Dominic - sorry, but the aircraft hikacked in Thunderball was a Vickers Vulcan, significantly later in technology than the B-17 (produced 1956 - 1965). reply | |
| | Don Thomas, e-mail, 02.12.2010 08:00 What a great airplane!---One of my favorites during WWII!
After reading Boeing turning out 16 B-17's per day during the war----Is this a fact or not?? This seems like a huge amount of assembly work for 1 day's work!!-----Don reply | | David, e-mail, 27.11.2010 22:50 I just bought what was told to me a steering yoke /wheel from a B-17 bomber. Does anyone know where I can get a photo of an actual yoke /steering wheel to verify my find?
Thanks reply | | Bob Coheleach, e-mail, 19.11.2010 04:23 When I was a kid, I used to climb in the B-17 while they were loading the 500 lb. bombs with wheeled car jacks. They'd crank them up, put two cables around the bomb and crank them into the bombay and lock them in place. I used to sit in the turrets and spin them around. Can you imagine a kid having that experience nowadays! reply | | a.casais, e-mail, 17.11.2010 20:54 I am one of the furious fans of this plane, but if you want to see it, without go for the real one, you have to get a comic collection draw by a magnific artist called Juan Jimenez( also a pilot) from Argentina, and the name of the comic is "ace of pike", is only 12 number about this plane from the first flight to when was shut down at the end of the war.Wonderful drawings not only for this plane in concrect, also me-109,me-262,mustang,spitfire,etc.
You will love that.He use to work for "heavy metal" and other similar companys, but "ace of pike" is a miniserie. reply | | Charles Wilson, e-mail, 10.11.2010 22:58 Hate to burst your bubble about New Jersey BB62 sinking Bismarck, she wasn't launched until December 1942.
An old Tin Can Sailor reply | | dominic, e-mail, 27.10.2010 00:44 could someone please give me more info on the b-17 in the james bond movie thunderball reply | | B.O.B, 16.10.2010 08:52 Yes John I know i was being sarcastic again. reply | | John Prime, e-mail, 11.10.2010 21:37 B.O.B., not meaning to be disrespectful, but the 8th Air Force did not exist in the summer of 1940. It was formed in 1942, and reorganized in 1944. reply | | jay brieloff, e-mail, 16.09.2010 20:09 my brothers last b17 as a gunner was "THE CASED ACE". shelly--my brother never talked about the 35 missions he flew out if england--would love to hear from any one on that plane, or previous planes that he flew in reply |
| Jules Horowitz, e-mail, 11.09.2010 18:37 I flew 50 missions /sorties as pilot of B17s. Not to belittle the 8th A.F. but B17s flew from N.Africa-Italy and the Pacific theaters. My group (99th) flew to Ploesti at least 10 times, the most important target in Europe, as tough a target as any out of England. They even went to Berlin. It was the combined effort of all B17s and B24 heavy bombers that contributed in winning the war. IT WAS A GREAT PLANE TO FLY. reply | |
| | B.O.B, 15.08.2010 13:46 Yes Basil God bless America for saving England if it wasn't for the US 8th airforce in late summer of 1940 wee would all be speeking German! and thank God the USS NewJersy sank the Bismark in May 1941!. The USA helped liberate western Europe from Nazi ocupation thats why i have great respect for these youn American airmen, but they didnot save Britain from Nazi invation. reply | | grady stoodt, e-mail, 07.05.2010 23:03 My great uncle Jack's B-17 was shot down during WW2. He was in the gunner's seat on the underside of the bomber.Once his mother got the news, she wore only black every day for the rest of her life.)-: reply | | Glenn, e-mail, 13.04.2010 16:31 How much added weight to the B 17 was from the primer and paint? reply | | Basil L. Riccomini, e-mail, 02.04.2010 05:54 When I visited my uncle in Newark, Nottinghamshire in England we used to watch the 8th Airforce B17's land after a mission and the planes would come in to land very much'shot up' and crashland, and skid down the runway explode and catch fire with the fire trucks and ambulances following them. It was a very terrible thing to see. All those brave men that flew mission after mission day after day with the knowledge that their survival rate was very slim. The whole world owes them a great debt, as they seccured the liberty and the freedom that we all enjoy today. We all should never forget what we owe them and their families. God Bless America for saving England and the British homeland. reply | | RDR, e-mail, 29.08.2010 21:00 I just 'found' this site thanks to a friend. The B-17 is
considered the 'Queen' of all the USAAF /USAF heavy bombers.
Her history as America's first strategic bomber will live forever thank's to those of you that respond and comment on her such as this forum. I am a docent at a 'warbird' museum in California. We have 44-83684 that is being res-
tored by a dedicated team. In closing, what do you guys see
in my e mail address...? Work on it! regards DR reply | | PHILLIP WOODS, e-mail, 01.09.2010 01:54 SEVERAL YEARS AGO I MET A FORMER BALL TURRET GUNNER FROM THE 91ST GROUP. HIS NAME WAS "JUNIOR" VIDMAR.i tALKED TO HIM OVER DINNER ONE EVENING IN THE 1980'S THRU HIS DAUGHTER WHOM I WAS ACQUAINTED WITH. THE NAME ON HIS B-17 WAS "LADY LUCK". PILOTS NAME WAS "WITZENFELD" I BELIEVE. ANYWAY, HE HAD SOME INTERESTING STORIES. SAID HIS LAST MISSION WAS TO SCHWEINFURT. WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WITH RELEVANT INFO.I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A B-17 FAN AND HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO FLY ON ONE SEVERAL YEARS AGO- EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME! reply |
|
Do you have any comments?
|
| 
COMPANY
PROFILE
All the World's Rotorcraft
|
20
reply