Many readers will be familiar with the B-17G Flying Fortress named 'Liberty Belle', belonging to the Liberty Foundation of Atlanta, GA.
Sadly, it made a forced landing in a cornfield near Chicago, IL today after an engine fire started in mid-air.
The seven people on board managed to escape without serious injury (only one needed short-term treatment), but the aircraft looks to be a total loss.
This is a terrible blow to historical aviation in the USA. There are now only a dozen airworthy B-17's in the country, plus a couple more overseas. It's conceivable that in my lifetime, all of them will have to be retired due to lack of spare parts and/or airframe fatigue. It's sad to think that our children's children will have only a few static exhibitions and old movie clips to remember these warbirds.
Peter
I consider this a tragedy as well, for exactly the reasons you lay out.
ReplyDelete...but, on the other hand, the long term trend is for personal wealth to increase at something like 1% per year, due to technological advancement.
We'll be PRINTING new B-17s soon enough!
A little bit of my heart just broke. Had it been Sentimental Journey, I'd be crying right now. Sad sad news.
ReplyDeleteLooks like the engines survived relatively intact, maybe the aircraft can be used for parts for other B-17s
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking. Now I've got something in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteThis is a terrible terrible loss.. I am glad I had the opportunity to see this jewel of history last summer. Indeed a very sad day for Aviation and History.
ReplyDeleteUmm, maybe 3 engines came through it OK. Remember, it was an engine fire that caused that landing.
ReplyDeleteBart Noir
Yikes! That's terrible news. Liberty Belle visited us regularly here in Hillsboro, Oregon. Several times a year giving rides and raising funds. I live beneath the landing pattern and she would fly right over my house several times a day while she was here. Hopefully, Aluminum Overcast will continue her visits.
ReplyDelete