B-17's waiting to fly?

DryMartini · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 5:42 pm

Jack Cook wrote:

EVG's B-17G hasn't flown in years and needs the spar AD addressed among all the things
that go to pot after sitting so long.
Since Mike Wright left there's no one there to work on the a/c (the airworthy ones anyway).
I think the only way you'll see her in the air is under different ownership.
Lacy's B-17 is still rotting away and not under rebuild. Don't say they restored the nose :shock:

Not talking for either of these planes, but both have been in contact with us about parts within the past few weeks. I have heard that EVG is trying to get things flying again.

corsair166b · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 5:59 pm

So am I to understand the former Greeley State armory bar B-17 has a chance of flying in the future as a flying restoration?

M

BattleRabbit · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 6:02 pm

ooh, an XC-108 on the way to flyer status? Now that's cool. Will it be running the solid nose, and remain in XC-108 configuration, or will they turn it into a "proper" B-17?

Frankly, I am rooting for the cargo plane to stay original.

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Mike wrote:

I believe that the late Bob Pond's is another which is technically airworthy but not intended to be flown, like the Seattle one.

What does this statement mean? Bob Pond's, "Miss Angela", went to the Chino air show many years in a row this decade, up to about 2 or so years ago. Have things changed? Is the reason that it's "not intended to be flown" because of Bob Pond's death and the resulting settlement of his estate? Also, did Mr. Pond own "Miss Angela", or was it owned by the Palm Springs Air Museum? Any info is appreciated.

The Seattle one, "Boeing Bee", according to workers at the Seattle Museum of Flight, will never fly again.

DryMartini · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 6:53 pm

B-17E 41-2595, converted to the XC-108A, is being rebuilt to as it was when it rolled off the Boeing floor. Look here for the story:

http://aerovintage.com/rat-1.htm

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3333

warbird1 wrote:

Mike wrote:

I believe that the late Bob Pond's is another which is technically airworthy but not intended to be flown, like the Seattle one.

What does this statement mean? Bob Pond's, "Miss Angela", went to the Chino air show many years in a row this decade, up to about 2 or so years ago. Have things changed? Is the reason that it's "not intended to be flown" because of Bob Pond's death and the resulting settlement of his estate? Also, did Mr. Pond own "Miss Angela", or was it owned by the Palm Springs Air Museum? Any info is appreciated.

The Seattle one, "Boeing Bee", according to workers at the Seattle Museum of Flight, will never fly again.

Bob Pond decided to ground his collection nearly 2 years ago. Chino Airshow 2006 was the last time most of them (including the B-17) flew. The B-17 is still owned by his estate. A few of the aircraft (such as the P-63) have been purchased by the Museum itself, so still fly on occasion. The Museum would like to purchase more, but don't have the funds. Therefore, all the aircraft owned by the Pond estate remain grounded with no plans to fly them.

That is as I understand the situation from talking to the folks there during a visit to the Palm Springs museum a few weeks back - the same information was confirmed by the guys at Chino when I visited there last week.

Hope this helps.

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 8:10 pm

Now that David Tallichet has passed, does his Memphis Belle still fly?

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Mike wrote:

Bob Pond decided to ground his collection nearly 2 years ago. Chino Airshow 2006 was the last time most of them (including the B-17) flew. The B-17 is still owned by his estate. A few of the aircraft (such as the P-63) have been purchased by the Museum itself, so still fly on occasion. The Museum would like to purchase more, but don't have the funds. Therefore, all the aircraft owned by the Pond estate remain grounded with no plans to fly them.

That is as I understand the situation from talking to the folks there during a visit to the Palm Springs museum a few weeks back - the same information was confirmed by the guys at Chino when I visited there last week.

Hope this helps.

Wow, I didn't know that! Thanks for the info, Mike. Do you know what the reason for the grounding was? Was it insurance, the cost of maintaining them, or were they deemed too rare to fly again? Do you know if the estate plans on selling off the collection, or are Mr. Pond's heirs going to just "sit on the collection"?

Is it just me, or does this sound similar to what happened to the Air Zoo collection?

You wouldn't happen to have a list of which airplanes were sold from Pond's collection to the PSAM, would you?

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 9:07 pm

Pat Carry wrote:

Now that David Tallichet has passed, does his Memphis Belle still fly?

Yes, for now. Lets hope that it stays that way!

By the way it is now know as “The Movie Memphis Belle" under threat of the US Air Farce. :roll:

Tim

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

TimAPNY wrote:

Pat Carry wrote:

Now that David Tallichet has passed, does his Memphis Belle still fly?

Yes, for now. Lets hope that it stays that way!

By the way it is now know as “The Movie Memphis Belle" under threat of the US Air Farce. :roll:

Tim

Do tell, Tim! What have they threatened? Not to open up a can of worms, but I thought that nobody could hold a copyright on warbird noseart unless it had commercial applications, i.e. - Disney characters, etc.

Have they repainted the name on Tallichet's bird to say "Movie Memphis Belle", instead of just "Memphis Belle"?

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3333

warbird1 wrote:

Do tell, Tim! What have they threatened? Not to open up a can of worms, but I thought that nobody could hold a copyright on warbird noseart unless it had commercial applications, i.e. - Disney characters, etc.

Have they repainted the name on Tallichet's bird to say "Movie Memphis Belle", instead of just "Memphis Belle"?

Calling Mustangdriver.............. :lol:

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 9:57 pm

Maybe I'm reading between the lines on this in regards to a "threat" but I learned a few things while I spent a very long 4 years serving this great country (the USA for those who might be confused about that

).

I really can’t believe it took this long to get to WIX, I guess sometimes I just can't keep my month shut.

"From the horses mouth"

http://members3.boardhost.com/1941AirMu ... 97450.html

Tim

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

TimAPNY wrote:

Maybe I'm reading between the lines on this in regards to a "threat" but I learned a few things while I spent a very long 4 years serving this great country (the USA for those who might be confused about that

).

I really can’t believe it took this long to get to WIX, I guess sometimes I just can't keep my month shut.

"From the horses mouth"

http://members3.boardhost.com/1941AirMu ... 97450.html

Tim

Wow, I can't believe that Tallichet's group (MARC) caved in and took the "Memphis Belle" noseart off of the plane. What a huge injustice! IMO, that sets a VERY dangerous precedent for future warbird restorations. So, how far will this go? Does that mean that the Navy is next and will insist that no individual paint their privately owned Corsair like Boyington's, or Kepford's "Big Hog", etc? This is a slippery slope and I'm very disappointed with the result.

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 10:26 pm

warbird1 wrote:

TimAPNY wrote:

Maybe I'm reading between the lines on this in regards to a "threat" but I learned a few things while I spent a very long 4 years serving this great country (the USA for those who might be confused about that

).

I really can’t believe it took this long to get to WIX, I guess sometimes I just can't keep my month shut.

"From the horses mouth"

http://members3.boardhost.com/1941AirMu ... 97450.html

Tim

Wow, I can't believe that Tallichet's group (MARC) caved in and took the "Memphis Belle" noseart off of the plane. What a huge injustice! IMO, that sets a VERY dangerous precedent for future warbird restorations. So, how far will this go? Does that mean that the Navy is next and will insist that no individual paint their privately owned Corsair like Boyington's, or Kepford's "Big Hog", etc? This is a slippery slope and I'm very disappointed with the result.

They did not remove the nose art, they just added in small print "the movie" to the nose art from the picture I saw.

I have very mixed feeling about it, I'd love some of the B-17s get repainted but not under threat!

Tim

mustangdriver · **Posted:** Tue May 13, 2008 11:46 pm

Mike wrote:

warbird1 wrote:

Do tell, Tim! What have they threatened? Not to open up a can of worms, but I thought that nobody could hold a copyright on warbird noseart unless it had commercial applications, i.e. - Disney characters, etc.

Have they repainted the name on Tallichet's bird to say "Movie Memphis Belle", instead of just "Memphis Belle"?

Calling Mustangdriver.............. :lol:

Oh brother. Here is the problem. I was there, and saw it myself, with my own eyes, and heard it with my own ears at the Gathering of Mustangs. The NMUSAF was upset that the movie Belle is being presented as the real deal. It is not. I walked around it at the GOML and I heard people walking away saying, you would think a museum like the NASM or NMUSAF would have the Belle". These people don't realize that the real thing is just down the road, in restoration. I have seen the Belle presented as the real one to people that don't know anybetter time and time again. I have worked on the aircraft more times than I can count. I don't blame the people trying to learn, but to someone not as in the loop as us with warbirds, I can see how they might think it. The NMUSAF wants to sell items with the Memphis Belle logo on them, to support the restoration of the plane. It's like putting a replica Liberty Bell (yes the bell not the plane) right next to the real one, and not understanding why the owners of the real one are upset.

O.K. back to you... continue to blast and flame away.

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B-17's waiting to fly?

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