Years in the making. The restoration of the Memphis Belle B-17F Flying Fortress.
Jay Pat
Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA
Well captured series, James!!
Pat
What a wonder set of pictures. Thanks for sharing them....
DOOK
Loc: Maclean, Australia
James56 wrote:
In 1946, The Memphis Belle was sitting in a field in Oklahoma destined to be chopped up for scrap. A newspaper reporter learned of it's fate and informed Mayor Walter Chandler of Memphis Tennessee. He bought the plane and had it shipped to Memphis. But after
60 years sitting outdoors, local groups conceited they didn't have the funds or ability to restore the Belle.
In 2005, the U.S. Air Force had the plane shipped in pieces to its repair shop in Dayton. During the War, the Memphis Belle had 5 engine changes, had portions of it's tail splintered to pieces. Its body was riddled with hundreds of holes from flak damage.
Now after 13 years in the shop, the Memphis Belle has finally been completely restored
and is now on display at the USAF National Museum in Dayton Ohio. One of many B-17's that helped to free Europe from the grips of the Nazi war machine. Hoping you will enjoy these photos I took during my visit to see this historic aircraft. Oh, and Thanks for looking...! PS: Got to meet fellow Hedgehogger "PhilGPS" while here in Dayton. A wonderful knowledgeable gentleman, great fellow photographer and a pleasure to have met. Thanks Phil...
DSC00058-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00063-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00066-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00082-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00090-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00096-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00106-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00112-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00116-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00125-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00201-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00199-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00210-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00216-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
In 1946, The Memphis Belle was sitting in a field ... (
show quote)
Great shots, James56, thanks for sharing
alby
Loc: very eastern pa.
great coverage.... shown well... one bird of many. was there last year... FANTASTIC PLACE..... took 6 hours there and could have stayed longer... just tired out. walking shoes are a must.
Jay Pat wrote:
Well captured series, James!!
Pat
Thanks Pat...great to hear from you.
TriX
Loc: Raleigh, NC
Great restoration and excellent shots. I’ve been to a lot of air museums, but the hangers at Wright-Patterson AFB are the best I’ve ever seen. If you’re anywhere near Dayton, you owe it to yourself to spend a day there.
Well done. A fitting tribute to a flying defender of good.
James56 wrote:
In 1946, The Memphis Belle was sitting in a field in Oklahoma destined to be chopped up for scrap. A newspaper reporter learned of it's fate and informed Mayor Walter Chandler of Memphis Tennessee. He bought the plane and had it shipped to Memphis. But after
60 years sitting outdoors, local groups conceited they didn't have the funds or ability to restore the Belle.
In 2005, the U.S. Air Force had the plane shipped in pieces to its repair shop in Dayton. During the War, the Memphis Belle had 5 engine changes, had portions of it's tail splintered to pieces. Its body was riddled with hundreds of holes from flak damage.
Now after 13 years in the shop, the Memphis Belle has finally been completely restored
and is now on display at the USAF National Museum in Dayton Ohio. One of many B-17's that helped to free Europe from the grips of the Nazi war machine. Hoping you will enjoy these photos I took during my visit to see this historic aircraft. Oh, and Thanks for looking...! PS: Got to meet fellow Hedgehogger "PhilGPS" while here in Dayton. A wonderful knowledgeable gentleman, great fellow photographer and a pleasure to have met. Thanks Phil...
DSC00058-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00063-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00066-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00082-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00090-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00096-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00106-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00112-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00116-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00125-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00201-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00199-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00210-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
DSC00216-01 by
James Frazier, on Flickr
In 1946, The Memphis Belle was sitting in a field ... (
show quote)
All I can say is thanks for sharing these beautiful and historic pictures James.
Great Job James! I always look forward to your work.
All those machine guns and they still got shot down a lot . Wow .. Great pictures . Part of me wish I could see what she looked like before the restoration and right after she was finished with her 25th mission . It would give me a better idea of how lucky they were to survive the last mission . I have watched the movie a couple of times over the many years . Once again , great photos ...Tommy
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