The Flying Fortress

of WWII

They fly with pin-up style posters of dames painted across their nose, harkening back to the era of Rosie the Riverter, which most of us only remember from our history books. Oh, they would have a few stories to tell. Bill Gerow, B-17 Tour Coordinator, does the telling for them.

Gerow hears many stories from veterans and their families as he tours with the Aluminum Overcast across the country. One such story brought a tear to his eye last week when a lady and gentleman approached him for a tour of the B-17.

The gentleman wanted to walk out to the plane. He said, I flew 35 missions in World War II. Gerow asked if he was with his wife. No, this isnt my wife; the gentleman said. Shes my girlfriend. She didnt want to go on the plane ride.

Gerow asked the lady, Hes your boyfriend? You live in sin? She responded, No, we dont live together we are getting married in two weeks. He was 89 and she was 88. The gentleman went for his plane ride while Gerow quizzed the lady some more about how they met and became engaged.

I was 22 years old, she said, and if my mom were still alive she would be very mad at me as she did not like him. When he was 22 and I was 21, he went off to war and I worked in Washington, D.C. for Henry H. Hap Arnold, the famous WWII general. Gerow recounted how the couple had only reunited several weeks ago. Neither had ever been married. He was the only one I ever loved, the lady said. When the gentleman came off the plane he told Gerow the same thing. What are you doing with your girlfriend? Gerow asked. It took a long time to find her again, answered the gentleman.

Gerow, historian and volunteer for the Experimental Aircraft Association, EAA, volunteers two weeks a year or more to telling the history of the B-17 Bomber Aluminum Overcast in its stops at the Fargo Air Museum and other locations around the country on its 2011 National Salute to Veterans Tour. Sixty stops are planned from March to December.

The national tour EAA undertakes each year has become the nations most popular way to learn about this unique aircraft in an up-close way, said Rod Hightower, EAA president. EAA is dedicated to preserving the spirit of aviation through these B-17 tours. We take great pride in saluting all our nations veterans as the airplane makes its way throughout our country, showcasing a living link to history for all generations to enjoy.

There were 12,000 B-17s made; 5,000 were lost in WWII, said Gerow. The B-17 touring in Fargo was made in 1945 and never saw action. In 1946 it was sold for scrap for $750, even though it was worth several million, to a South American company. They used it to spray fire ants. A few years later it was sold to 18 doctors who formed a group to restore it and fly around the world as a goodwill gesture. They found it cost-prohibitive to fly. The B-17 was donated to the EAA Aviation Foundation in 1981 with the provision of the aircraft being maintained in airworthy condition.

The EAA spent 10 years restoring it without guns or armament, advises Gerow. The Bombay did not work. Now the B17 has all its guns, the original Browning 50-caliber machine guns with eight gun positions; each has a minute of bullets; the guns will run 6,000 rounds in a minute.

Gerow says, The tail gunner had a 30 percent chance of surviving an air battle; the other gunners had a 50-60 percent chance of survival. The various gunner positions were nine in total: the bottom turret in which one needed to be 5-foot-3-inch or smaller to fit in this turret. There were two side or waste guns (one on either side of the plane); the chin or bluster guns; the bombardier and navigator in a glass bubble on the nose of the plane; the flight engineer rode in the top turret. There were generally 9 or 10 people that manned the B-17. The average pilot was 20 years of age.

The plane burns 200 gallons of fuel an hour and carries 1700 gallons of fuel, Gerow continued. The pilot would generally go back to the location where they started the mission, which was usually the English Channel in England. There were very few B-17s on the west coast of the USA. The planes were not configured to fly to Japan, as it was too far for the amount of fuel it would carry.

Gerow told of a 90-year-old gentleman, Dick Smith, who brought his grandson to ride on the plane he flew on in several missions during WWII. Gerow asked him, Did you ever jump out of an airplane? Smith responded that he had jumped twice. The first time he was showing off for the girls and the second time he had to jump. When he was showing off, he was celebrating his 80th birthday!

The national B-17 tours have taken place each spring and fall since 1994. Since EAA began the tours of the aircraft known as The Flying Fortress, tens of thousands of people have experienced this unique airplane through its visits and aircraft ground tours. Thousands of aviation enthusiasts have actually flown in the renowned bomber, which is considered one of the greatest military airplanes ever built and one of the best-known aircraft types of the World War II era.

Through the past decade of national tours, EAAs B-17 has created many emotional reunions for veterans who participated in B-17 operations during World War II. For most, it was their first experience in a Flying Fortress since that era. Even though more than six decades have passed since their wartime experience, the veterans outpouring of emotion and memories have created a unique link to the original purpose of this aircraft. The veterans have often shared their stories, while also recalling and honoring their long-ago comrades, during the B-17s visits to their communities.

The Fargo Air Museum is hosting the B-17 tours through ? See sidebar article for information about upcoming tours and the Fargo Air Show.

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was founded in 1953 in Milwaukee, Wis., as a local club for those who built and restored their own aircraft. It quickly grew to become a vibrant and growing aviation community that includes all who enjoy flying for recreation and welcomes all aviation enthusiasts to participate. Today, EAA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that includes 170,000 members in more than 100 countries.

EAAs mission is dedicated to growing aviation through participation, striving to make aviation easier, more accessible, more rewarding and more fun. EAA ignites and nurtures interest by embracing The Spirit of Aviation.