Saturday, September 20, 2008

B-17 Flying Fortress



Boeing B-17E. (U.S. Air Force photo). Information presented on www.nationalmuseum.af.mil is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested.

Boeing B-17G-40-VE (S/N 42-97991) in flight. (U.S. Air Force photo).

The B-17G was the result of an almost continuous improvement program of earlier B-17 models. The G model was basically the production version of the B-17F after the modifications and improvements were incorporated into the design.

Although the Bendix chin turret is the most obvious improvement incorporated into the B-17G, it was actually first used on late model B-17Fs. More than 8,500 Gs were built by three different manufacturers: Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed-Vega. More than 12,500 B-17s of all types were built before production ended.

B-17 Flying Fortress

B-17 Flying Fortress

The Flying Fortress is one of the most famous airplanes ever built. The B-17 prototype first flew on July 28, 1935. Although few B-17s were in service on Dec. 7, 1941, production quickly accelerated after the U.S. entry into World War II. The aircraft served in every combat zone, but it is best known for the daylight strategic bombing of German industrial targets. Production ended in May 1945 and totaled 12,726.

SPECIFICATIONS: Span: 103 ft. 9 in. Length: 74 ft. 9 in. Height: 19 ft. 1 in. Weight: 65,500 lbs. gross weight (actual - normal load) Armament: 12 .50-cal. machine guns and 8,000 lbs. of bombs. Engines: Four Wright R-1820-97 turbo-supercharged radials of 1200 hp each

PERFORMANCE: Maximum speed: 302 mph at 25,000 ft. Cruising speed: 160 mph. Service ceiling: 35,600 ft. Range: 3,400 miles (maximum ferry range)

Tags: Public Domain Clip Art and clip art or public domain and B-17 Flying Fortress or BOEING.

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