B17 Yankee Lady

I'm not sure where my fascination of the B17 started.  Why do I like the lines of the Flying Fortress more than the B24 Liberator?  Both were the perfect aircraft for the time.  I guess it's why I drive what I drive and not a Pri......  Never mind.  Not going to lose any sleep on it.
The B17 Nine 'O Nine was in Flint a few years ago.  The B17 Cockpit image I have is from that visit.  Still a favorite.
The Yankee Lady is one of nine flight capable B17s still in operations.   The aircraft belongs to the Yankee Air Museum based out of Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, MI.  Just a hop down the road.  The aircraft was delivered to the Air Force in July of 1945.  It is certain this aircraft did not see combat action.  From 1946 to 1958 the aircraft belonged to the US Coast Guard.  It was stationed in Nova Scotia, San Francisco and North Carolina.   In 1969, the aircraft was flown to Hawaii to be one of five B17s used for the movie Tora, Tora, Tora.  In June of 1986, the Yankee Air Museum purchased the aircraft and flew it to Michigan, where it was in rebuild for over nine years.  
The rebuild had to reverse many alterations from the Coast Guard service and other past owners/purposes.  The current painting is to reflect the 381st Bombardment Group stationed in Ridgewell, England in 1944.
It is never lost on me that we lose more and more veterans every day from this time.  

B17 Yankee Lady in Level Flight

NIKON D500 Ver.1.15/70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

244 mm, 1/250 sec, f/20, ISO 220 (Auto)

-0.33EV, Manual Mode

B17 Yankee Lady Flightline Pass

NIKON D500 Ver.1.15/70.0-300.0 mm f/4.5-5.6

244 mm, 1/222 sec, f/20, ISO 100 (Auto)

-0.33EV, Manual Mode

The images are fun to process and post.  But the one thing I can't get crammed into the visual is the sound and smell.  Technology will make it happen soon.