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To: Bringbackthedraft

Back in the late 80’s I was in a hanger at USAFB Dover DE and had the opportunity to roam around inside a B 17 that they were re building. It never saw action in WW II, it was to be used as a drone. It still had the drab color. I wonder what happened to it. There was also a HE 111 at the shows up until a couple of years ago. It was used in the movie Battle of Britain and was of Spanish origin built with different engines. I’ve been told it crashed and was totalled out. I was in it at one of the shows and it was cramped inside. BTW, the B-17 didn’t seem as large inside as they appear in the movies. The cat walk that divides the bombay area is narrow and there isn’t that much room in the waist as it appears in films. Obviously they had to build sets to allow the cameras in. As a kid, they still had them near our home flying out of a NAS for sea patrols. The last time one flew over me was 1956, and boy, do I miss hearing the sound of their engines.


23 posted on 08/19/2008 8:23:52 AM PDT by Bringbackthedraft (If everyone stays home and no one votes will Congress disappear?)
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To: Bringbackthedraft
Back in the late 80’s I was in a hanger at USAFB Dover DE and had the opportunity to roam around inside a B 17 that they were re building. It never saw action in WW II, it was to be used as a drone. It still had the drab color. I wonder what happened to it.

There's a good list of B-17 survivors here

My guess is that you saw 44-83624 "Sleepy Time Gal", although the restoration timeline synchs with "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby", currently of the NMUSAF (but to be sent to NASM sometime down the road). SSSB is a combat vet, tho.

The He-111 was probably the CAF's.
24 posted on 08/19/2008 3:54:05 PM PDT by tanknetter
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