Liberty Belle wont be up for breakfast!

[Todd Wilson]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chibrknews-crews-responding-to-incident-involving-wwii-bomber-20110613,0,5852034.story

[PocketThunder]

That'll buff out...   

[tan top]

good no one was hurt !!  shame that plane has  been lost !!  the number of old war planes that have been lost over the years with displays & stuff also  , makes me wonder should they be flying  , yeah i know awesome to see &  the younger generations can experience these ole war birds , but when & if they crash , there is nothing left to repair ! &  are lost forever  

[Mike DC]

 

[RallyeMike]

the number of old war planes that have been lost over the years with displays & stuff also  , makes me wonder should they be flying

I agree. We also put all the old cars in museums so they can be preserved forever without risk.
They shouldnt be on the road.

(Not). Sorry to see one go, but if they can fly, fly 'em !

[BrianShaughnessy]

Damn shame 

Best $400 I ever spent was a ride on Nine O Nine. 
       

[bobs66440]

That's terrible. Unfortunately, that's the downside and risk of flying them regularly. Fortunately, no-one was seriously hurt. I still think it's important to keep them flying to keep the public aware of the sacrifices made.

It looks like at least three engines can be salvaged though...

[TruckDriver]

  I got video of the plane when it used to come here at a local airport for a show they hold honering WWII airplanes. My dad was inside that plane as well.

B17's are one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built I think.

[bull]

Very sad, but yes, they should keep flying them.

[hemi68charger]

That is sad... Another peice of history gone bye-bye......   

[stripedelete]

Save one at Wright-Pat or the Smithsonian and fly the rest.

[70charginglizard]

B17's are one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built I think.

Correction....."IS"    Glad no one was hurt.  you rarely see something like that these days with airplanes on fire.

[gtx6970]

Save one at Wright-Pat or the Smithsonian and fly the rest.

I couldn't agree more. Just use the parts left over from this one, to keep many more in action.
I've never been in or even up close to one, but have always wanted to go in or maybe even fly in one.,,,,, maybe someday.

[Troy]

That really sucks! It's great that no one was injured. Most all of the flyable (and static display) WWII planes have been built from the remains of others so I'm sure anything usable won't be wasted. That plane had to be put back to stock itself.

When I told my stepdad about it he let me know that he just got a ride in a B-29 over the weekend. For anyone interested in riding in a bomber there's a great web site to get information/schedules:
http://www.bomberflight.info/links_pages.htm

Troy

[tan top]

That really sucks! It's great that no one was injured. Most all of the flyable (and static display) WWII planes have been built from the remains of others so I'm sure anything usable won't be wasted. That plane had to be put back to stock itself.

When I told my stepdad about it he let me know that he just got a ride in a B-29 over the weekend. For anyone interested in riding in a bomber there's a great web site to get information/schedules:
http://www.bomberflight.info/links_pages.htm

Troy

this looks an awesome site !!  will have a good study later  , thanks for posting Troy

[69rtse4spd]

 How sad. .

[Todd Wilson]

We had a B-17 in town a few years back. Got a lot of cool pictures. Got to get inside of it. They were taking rides but I didnt have the cash at that time to spend on a plane ride.  Theres no mistake when it flys over. An'nt nothing in the air that sounds like em now!

http://www.job-rated.com/b17/index.html



Todd

[Cooperman]

As said many times above; glad no-one was hurt. Reading the second page of that report, that particular B-17 has had quite a history...

The plane was manufactured in 1944. It was sold on June 25, 1947 as scrap to Esperado Mining Co. of Altus, Okla. and was sold again later that year to Pratt & Whitney for $2,700, according to the foundation's website.

Whitney operated the B-17 from Nov. 19, 1947 to 1967 to test turboprop engines. It was donated in the late 1960s to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association in East Hartford, but was heavily damaged in 1979 when a tornado threw another aircraft against the B-17's mid-section, breaking the fuselage, the foundation said.

It was stored in the New England Air Museum in Connecticut until the foundation began restoring it.

[Brock Samson]

shame. 

[PocketThunder]

What was it made of that it burned like that? 

[Troy]

What was it made of that it burned like that? 

Avgas.

No really, all the fuel is stored in the wings. The fuselage is aluminum.

Troy

[Tilar]

How sad.