B-17 Flying Fortress

The B-17, “Flying Fortress”, is a U.S. built heavy bomber that was used in World War II. There were around 12,700 of these B-17 bomber planes that were produced. The B-17, “Flying Fortress”, was built by the Boeing Aircraft Company. The B-17, “Flying Fortress”, was built to aide the U.S. in World War II. The B-17, “Flying Fortress” specs were; a top speed of a whopping 287 MPH, a cruising speed of 182 MPH, it was about 19 feet and 1 inches tall and had a wingspan of 103 feet and 9 inches, a total length of about 74 feet and 4 inches, a 17,600 lb. bomb load, an amount of twelve .50 caliber machine guns, and the crew consisted of a pilot, a co-pilot, a navigator, a bombardier/nose gunner, a flight engineer/top turret gunner, a radio operator,…

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Heavy Bomber Aircraft. This aircraft was a game changer for aircraft bombing missions due to the range of travel and the design of the aircraft. In order to comprehend how this aircraft changed modern aviation warfare; the aircraft’s program history, how it operated in combat, and the airmen culture on the aircraft must be understood. The Boeing B-17 program history is the first area where aircraft warfare methods have changed.…

Every bomber crew dreamed of flying a B-17 “Flying Fortress”. Mac “Sharkie” LaQuain and his crew were lucky enough to be assigned to one. The B-17 got its nickname because of its size and firepower. Mac once served as a co-pilot on a B-25 Mitchell, another bomber, but was moved to serve as pilot of the B-17, with a new crew. Their names were Jake “Nobleman” Noble, the chin turret gunner, Scott Filippe, the co-pilot, Joseph Robinson, the waist gunner, Ryder “Aussie” Mein, the navigator,ball…

improvement in the case of war. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was considered the most important heavy bombers for the American Allies in World War Two. The nick name Flying Fortress came from a reporter when he said it looked like a fortress flying in the sky. The early B-17 bombers had more protection, more sealing, and redesigned tail. The B-17G had an overall weight of sixty-five thousand pounds. The B-17E was given a new tail which was a .50 caliber to be more defensive. The weight of the…

eighth in the 5000-meter distance event at that Olympics, but his final lap of 56 seconds was fast enough to catch the attention of Adolf Hitler, who insisted on a personal meeting. As Zamperini told the story, Hitler shook his hand, and said simply "Ah, you're the boy with the fast finish.” Military career and prisoner of war Zamperini enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in September 1941 and earned a commission as a second lieutenant. He was deployed to the Pacific island of…

Bombs Away, a pilot in a B-17 bomber yells. The B-17 was a bombing plane produce by America during World War II. It was produced by Boeing aircrafts. The B-17 Bomber was a major part of American success in World War II because of its massive size, and its role in multiple bombing missions. Its capabilities made the B-17 a target of enemies. The B-17s max altitude was about 20,000 feet, its max speed was about 300 miles per hour (Hipperson, 2001). On average the B-17 had a load of about 10 tons…

non-profit organization. I visited this museum on the 17 of November. The Museum boast thirty-eight aircrafts all from small fighter jets to massive bombers. As well as groups, people, and weapons that were significant in war times during World War Two. While their taking in all the different types of airplanes and how each one was used to help in the war, there was one airplane that caught my attention. For one this airplane couldn’t be missed even if you tried to not look at it. In its own…

The Being 314 Clipper was a flying boat commissioned to Pan American Airlines. Pan American went to Boeing and asked for a long-range, four-engine flying boat. Boeing catered to their needs creating the model 314, nicknamed the “Clipper” after oceanic ships. The Boeing 314 “Clipper” was a jumbo aircraft of it’s time and utilized a three tail-fin assembly allowing more control over the flying boat. The “Clipper” made its first scheduled trans-Atlantic flight on June 28th, 1939. The Boeing 314…

for North Africa”). Along with close air support the Wildcats were used for the destruction of anti-aircraft guns and airfields during the landings. The aircraft was equipped with incendiary bombs for these purposes. The Wildcat acted as a dive bomber to provide increased accuracy for the bombs (Wardell). With the Wildcats destroying anti-aircraft guns and Axis controlled airports the 12th Air Force bomber could come in and finish the job with little resistance. The most common bombers used in…

The bomber, by itself, could wreak havoc on an area very accurately from great altitudes. And, when escorted by p51 mustangs, there was no stopping one of these flying fortresses. These bombers relatively easy to take down, so fighter planes often escorted them to serve as a defense. Some bombers, like the Lancaster B.I., had capabilities of carrying a bomb load weighing up to 20,000 pounds. Just one of these bomb loads could have devastating effect on area up to 50,000 square meters, and when…