VERY EARLY B-17

[wacoykc]

Not sure which model this is...B-17A or B

[TonyM]

That is a Y1B-17 assigned to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio.

The Y1 designation denotes an "In-service" experimental airplane. The intake scoops are on top, indicating that this is a Y1B-17.

There was only one Y1B-17A, which was used as a test bed for the turbo-supercharger system eventually used on early B-17airplanes.

TonyM.

[wacoykc]

Is this the airplane that crashed on the test flights?

[Steve Nelson]

The one that crashed on Wright Field was the Boeing model 299 prototype. The tail section was hauled into a hangar and used for various tests, and supposedly the rest of the burned remains are still buried somewhere on the field.

The Y1B-17 was a follow-on service test bird, with some improvements over the original 299, including (I think) a larger rudder.

SN

[wacoykc]

Speaking of remains buried at Wright Field, I knew an old-timer who almost got caught stealing a P-12 from the dump at Wright Field. He had been an early pilot in this area (Dayton) and learned to fly right after WWI and knew alot of the famous fliers. He told me where the dump was (still behind the fence at Wright Field) and that there were all kinds of airplanes/parts there prior to WWII. There was a P-12 that was on the gear with the engine/prop still on it...no wings. He and a buddy scouted the area for a while and decided to cut the fence and haul it out. Well, one night they got it out and had it hooked to the back of the Model A when base security came around on patrol. A chase ensued through the streets of Dayton until the rope broke and the P-12 went careening into a yard. They kept going and the patrol stopped to "save" the airplane. He was a neat old guy with a million stories!