Warbird Information Exchange

During my combat tour the B17s had deicer boots but no deicer fluid, so they were non operative

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WW2 B17 pilot 99th B.G. N.Africa- Italy 12-15th A.F , 50 combat sorties, from July 1943 to Feb 1944

Wouldn't wing de-icers be electric or pnuematic? Prop anti-icers could use fluid.

Regards,

The surface boots were pneumatic, but the boots were removed because they proved to be more problems than not. The bombers rarely flew in icing conditions, as the bomb drop was in visual meteorlogic conditions, as was the formation flights. Damage to the leading edges caused the boots to detach and foul the control surfaces in many instances.

The Air Corps kept the alcohol prop de-ice intact as any ice contamination on the blades caused thrust loss, which may be critical at the large loads that the bombers carried.

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If God had wanted man to fly behind a flat motor, Pratt Whitney would've built one.

My father flew B-17Gs with the 463rd BG, 15th AF during the war.
He told me many of their AC had no boots.

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Remember the vets, the wonderful planes they flew and their sacrifices for a future many of them did not live to see.