WIX Archives
Re: B-17C 40-2047
Posted by Steve on Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:10:23 AM
In reply top Re: B-17C 40-2047 posted by Scott Thompson on Tue Nov 26, 2002 06:41:31 PM
The crime is in the way the parts were salvaged. The best and most viable use for what remains on that mountain is a source of parts for other preserved B-17's. It can hardly be considered a 'National Treasure' as say the Gettysburg Battlefield is. A battlefield can be preserved and enjoyed as-is by thousands for the next 500 years, but a mountain top partial wreck viewed by only a handfull of hikers is different, especially after another 100 years of destruction by vandals and nature reduce it to the essential elements again! No doubt the greedy vandals pirated the parts for resale to some B-17 project. The needed parts could have been salvaged carefully and with the proper authorization, and put to use for the benifit of a greater public to enjoy in the end (i.e. display aircraft).
: There's not much to recover that would be usable for anyth
: ing other than a display of a crushed and flattened B-17 w
: ing and aft fuselage. Forward fuselage is MIA and the engi
: nes and other parts are scattered over hundreds of acres.
: The airplane broke up in a spin at 18,000 feet, though all
: but one of the crew was able to get out safely. This part
: icular airplane was attached to the 7th BG out of Salt Lak
: e City and no doubt would have been in the group of B-17s
: being ferried into Hickam on 12/7/41 save for the crash, w
: hich occurred in early November 1941 as the B-17C was bein
: g ferried into McClellan Field (Sacramento) for an engine
: change.
:
: However, the point is well taken that this is the last kno
: wn B-17C to remain on this earth in any form, and one of t
: wo of the early small-tailed Forts. It's a shame to hear t
: he wing section was sawed apart.
:
: As for recovery, good luck in trying to arrange the paperw
: ork. I investigated it briefly and don't think it would be
: worth the large amount of money it would take, even after
: the proper permissions were granted.
:
: I think there is a better way to put together a B-17C/D...
: using components from a G fusleage (there are a few around
: ) rebuilt to the C/D configuration. Just add money and tal
: ent.