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Nine-o-Nine by Stan Stokes.
One of only fourteen B-17s that still fly, the Collings Foundation is the proud owner and operator of B-17G serial no. 44-83575. This aircraft was built on April 7, 1945 in Long Beach, CA by Douglas Aircraft under license from Boeing. She served as part of the Air/Sea 1st Rescue Squadron and in the Air Transport Service. She was subject to three separate nuclear explosions. After a thirteen-year cool down period the aircraft was sold for scrap. The Aircraft Specialties Company began a restoration of the aircraft. Named Yucca Lady the aircrafts skin was fabricated and replaced on site; engines and props were stripped, cleaned, repaired and tested. For the next twenty years 44-83575 served without incident as a fire bomber dropping water and borate on wild fires throughout the West. In 1986 the Collings Foundation of Stow Massachusetts purchased the aircraft and had her restored to her wartime configuration by Tom Reilly Vintage Aircraft. She was considered one of the finest B-17 restorations and has received numerous awards. In 1987 at an airshow at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the aircraft was struck by a severe cross wind while landing. This resulted in a severe non-fatality accident, that necessitated another substantial restoration. With the support of many individuals and corporations, and support from many folks from Beaver Falls 44-83575 rose again like a Phoenix. The aircraft is named in honor of Nine-O-Nine, a B-17 that flew 140 successful combat missions with the 323rd Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group. The original Nine-O-Nine did not lose a crewman, and did not have to abort a single mission. This amazing record was attained between February 1944 and April 1945. During this time the Nine-O-Nine participated in eighteen raids on Berlin and flew an amazing 1129 combat hours. She underwent 21 different engine changes, 4 wing replacements, and fifteen main gas tank replacements due largely to heavy damage from flak. The Nine-O-Nine had six hundred patches in her fuselage and wings when the War ended in Europe. She was flown home, but later succumbed to the scrappers guillotine. In Stan Stokes highly detailed painting, that is a tribute to both the original Nine-O-Nine, and her present namesake flown by the Collings Foundation, the original Nine-O-Nine is readied for another mission to Berlin at its airfield in England in 1945. |
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