Tube City Almanac

July 09, 2012

Vintage Warplanes Return to County Airport

Category: News || By

© Tube City Community Media Inc. photo

"Memphis Belle," a restored World War II-era B-17 bomber, visited the Allegheny County Airport this weekend, offering flights around the Mon-Yough area as well as a history lesson writ large.

Operated by the Tulsa, Okla., based Liberty Foundation, the four-engine Boeing aircraft is the second B-17 to bear the name. The original "Memphis Belle" flew 25 combat missions in Europe between 1942 and 1943 with no serious injuries to her crew. The first U.S. bomber to reach that milestone, "Memphis Belle" became the subject of two Hollywood feature films.

That plane is currently being restored at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. The foundation also brought a restored Curtiss P-40 "Warhawk" fighter plane to West Mifflin this weekend as part of its 2012 "Salute to Veterans" tour.

From 2004 to 2011, the foundation operated another restored B-17 called "Liberty Belle," which visited Allegheny County Airport in 2009 and 2010, providing rides and educational information. That plane was heavily damaged by a fire in June 2011 after takeoff from an Illinois airport. According to news reports, the plane made a forced landing in a field and all seven people aboard exited safely.

More than 20,000 people flew about "Liberty Belle" before the fire, according to a foundation spokesman, who says the group is exploring the possibility of rebuilding the plane. In the meantime, he says, the foundation is leasing the "Memphis Belle" this year so that it can continue its educational mission. More photos follow the jump.

© Tube City Community Media Inc. photo

The plane that flew into town this weekend was delivered in the closing days of World War II and was converted from a bomber into a U.S. Air Force transport plane, flying in Germany and Japan until 1954, when it was put into storage. In 1960, it was sold as surplus to a private owner, who added large water tanks to the plane and used it to fight forest fires.

In the late 1970s, the B-17 was purchased by the Military Aircraft Restoration Corp., repaired and refitted, and repainted into a World War II livery. It adopted the name "Memphis Belle" in 1989, when it was used in the filming of the 1990 movie of the same name starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz and Harry Connick Jr.

The B-17 is leased to the Liberty Foundation by Military Aircraft Restoration Corp. and is based at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum in Geneseo, N.Y. The P-40 is owned by the foundation and based in Miami, Fla.

Developed in 1935, the B-17 was nicknamed the "Flying Fortess" for its ability to withstand punishing attacks and still complete its missions.

Although nearly 13,000 B-17s were built, only 13 are capable of flight, although several dozen are on static display at museums. Of nearly 14,000 P-40s built from 1938 to 1944, only 19 remain flying. According to the Liberty Foundation's website, a 45-minute flight on the B-17 costs $450 per person, while a ride on the P-40 costs $1,150 per person.




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