Air Pirates Oct 2007 B-17 Recovery...

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:35 am

I think that the MAAM in Reading has a B-17 lifeboat.

DonL · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:44 pm

Has anyone heard any more on this? Is it a hoax or just bits and pieces? It is hard to believe that they found an intact B-17 but stranger things have happened.

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:22 pm

Some lurker around here is watching the detective WIX team on the case and is starting to sweat! :lol:

groundpounder · **Posted:** Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:39 pm

somebody's gotta know something about this?!?!~?! :lol:

Dan Jones · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:35 am

I'll say Greenland, it's snow, and taken in the late '40s.

Xrayist · **Joined:** Wed Jun 08, 2005 12:51 am **Posts:** 329

I think it is at least partially photoshopped. Look at the shadow. What caused a shadow that big in what appears to be a vast, flat, snow covered plain? If you look at #4 engine, you will see a "bright" spot on top. If the rest of that area is in deep shadow, how did the bright spot get there? Also, the left side, right under the stars and bars, the snow looks to be right up to the the bottom of the insignia. It just doesn't look natural. When looking at #1 engine, I see two prop blades pretty clearly, but not the third. And, to me, it appears as if the plane is sitting on its main gear, but the tail wheel appears to be buried.

DoraNineFan · **Joined:** Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:37 pm **Posts:** 672

Xrayist wrote:

I think it is at least partially photoshopped. Look at the shadow. What caused a shadow that big in what appears to be a vast, flat, snow covered plain? If you look at #4 engine, you will see a "bright" spot on top. If the rest of that area is in deep shadow, how did the bright spot get there? Also, the left side, right under the stars and bars, the snow looks to be right up to the the bottom of the insignia. It just doesn't look natural. When looking at #1 engine, I see two prop blades pretty clearly, but not the third. And, to me, it appears as if the plane is sitting on its main gear, but the tail wheel appears to be buried.

It looks like the effects of the sun being at a very shallow angle--more typical in arctic regions. The plane could be on it's gear, but it does appear that it's back is broken and the waist area is lower to the ground near the snow.

Dan Jones · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:43 am

The shadows of everything in that picture all run the same direction. DoraNineFan is right - the light source for that picture is at a very shallow angle which is very typical for arctic spring or fall conditions. I searched for an all white, frost covered Turbo Beaver one day and even from directly overhead could only barely make out the airplane on the frozen lake, but you could see the shadow it was casting from four or five miles away.

It looks to me like there's a light layer of snow on the wings giving the very faint insignia there but not on the fuselage. I doubt very much that whatever is being recovered now bears much resemblance to what's in the picture but I really hope I'm wrong about that.

Nathan · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:53 am

I think its snow and crashed in upper Canada? Looks like a rescue B-17 to me.

michael luther · **Posted:** Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:39 pm

From what I have heard about it, it was in the greenland area, and was a USAF aircraft. Over the years the ice had melted around it, but not under it, leaving the B-17 on a ice platform, at some point a storm caught it and blew it off the platform, and creating more damage.

michael luther · **Posted:** Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:39 pm

From what I have heard about it, it was in the greenland area, and was a USAF aircraft. Over the years the ice had melted around it, but not under it, leaving the B-17 on a ice platform, at some point a storm caught it and blew it off the platform, and creating more damage.

DoraNineFan · **Joined:** Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:37 pm **Posts:** 672

michael luther wrote:

From what I have heard about it, it was in the greenland area, and was a USAF aircraft. Over the years the ice had melted around it, but not under it, leaving the B-17 on a ice platform, at some point a storm caught it and blew it off the platform, and creating more damage.

The storm story reminds of another B-17 conversation, but I just can't put my finger on it. It this the crashed B-17 that was eventually flipped over by a gale (with subsequent damage) or am I thinking of another B-17 that was crashed in the arctic? In Canada? In Newfoundland?

michael luther · **Posted:** Sat Mar 08, 2008 10:07 pm

I thought it was, but I might be wrong.

RMAllnutt · **Posted:** Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:10 am

DoraNineFan wrote:

michael luther wrote:

From what I have heard about it, it was in the greenland area, and was a USAF aircraft. Over the years the ice had melted around it, but not under it, leaving the B-17 on a ice platform, at some point a storm caught it and blew it off the platform, and creating more damage.

The storm story reminds of another B-17 conversation, but I just can't put my finger on it. It this the crashed B-17 that was eventually flipped over by a gale (with subsequent damage) or am I thinking of another B-17 that was crashed in the arctic? In Canada? In Newfoundland?

I think that maybe you are thinking of the B-17 recovered from the arctic by Gary Larkins about ten years ago. It has been mostly restored, as "My Gal Sal" by Gary's team, and a group in Cincinati(?). I am unsure about the aircraft in the photo. It does not look photoshopped to me. Neither does it look like the aircraft recovered from Labrador (that had a complete nose, and many other differences). My guess is that whatever has been recovered, it's not an intact airframe. I do know that Gary was looking for some B-17's lost in the arctic (or near arctic) waters though some years back... parhaps he's found one of them!

Richard

Seafury1 · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:24 pm

I am looking for more of this L-5. Does any one have more photos of the L-5's what unit, L-5E's, Detailed shots, how the numbers were put on the cowl, were there any tag numbers on the bottom of the wing or fuselage

Any help would be appreciated.

Shay wrote:

b17warbirdguru wrote:

Another observation.... It doesn't seem to have the yellow scheme in the middle of the fuselage like other Rescue B-17's... or on the wings...no color change or black lines....

There is some snow fall on the aircraft. You can just barely make out the Stars and Bars on th left wing.

Regarding the markings. I think what you are seeing here might be a middle stage in the evolution of the Air Rescue Service Markings for the SB-17

Final version of the markings

Shay
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Semper Fortis

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Air Pirates Oct 2007 B-17 Recovery...

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