Photo ID: 1011077
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Model: B-17G-85-DL Flying Fortress |
Registration: NL93012 |
| Year: 1945 |
Serial Number: 44-83575, C/N 3318 |
| Engines: Wright R1820-97 |
Owner: Collings Foundation |
| Location: Wayne County Airport, Wooster, Ohio |
Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
| Date: 2003, August |
Present Registration: |
Present Owner (FAA info): |
Notes: 8/18/03 - The Collings Foundation's B-17 and B-24 visited Wayne County Airport, Wooster, Ohio, August 13-15, 2003. What a photo op - - and only a few miles from home!
B-17G, NL93012 was accepted in April 1945 as s/n 44-83575. Because of war's end she never saw combat, but served in the Air/Sea Rescue Squadron and in MATS.
In 1952 she was positioned in the area of several nuclear test explosions on an island in the Pacific, to see what kind of damage would occur to an aircraft. My father saw the B-17 after it was brought back to Arizona in the mid 1960's, and most of the skin was wrinkled and needed to be replaced!
The aircraft then served as an air tanker (fire fighter) for 20-years, and in 1986 was bought by the Collings Foundation, of Stowe, MA.
According to expert Joe Baugher, NL93012 is a B-17G-85-DL, built by Douglas in their Long Beach, CA plant. (The "DL" represents "Douglas, Long Beach") It was not unusual during WW-II for aircraft, engines and propellers of a certain manufacturer to be built under license by others. Many of the "Wright" engines on the B-17's were built by Studebaker!
The "L" in the aircraft's registration, i.e. "NL93012", is there because the aircraft is certificated by the F.A.A. in "Limited Category". This is a special category for former military aircraft which meet certain criteria of safety record and present usage.
More info on this aircraft is available click here. |
Photo ID: 1011078
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Notes: One of the distinctives of the B-17G is the large vertical tail. Earlier versions were somewhat smaller. This makes crosswind landings a challenge, and was certainly a factor in the near destruction of this aircraft in a crosswind landing at Beaver Falls in western PA, in 1987. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011079
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Notes: NL93012 is actually s/n 44-83575. However, she is painted as s/n 42-31909, a WW-II B-17G, "Nine O Nine", which flew 140 combat missions between 3/44 and 4/45 without a crew fatality or injury. The famous aircraft was brought back to the U.S. but was eventually scrapped.
The real "Nine O Nine" was a Boeing B-17G-30-BO. The BO indicates that it was built by Boeing. Interestingly, NL93012 is mistakenly stenciled "B-17G-30-80" (eighty) instead of the correct "BO", for Boeing! |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011080
click image to enlarge |
Notes: What can I say, but I liked the shot! |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011081
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Notes: The 1200-HP, Wright 1820-97 is a nine-cylinder, single row, 1820 cubic inch radial engine. It has 16:9 gear reduction in the nose, meaning that the prop turns nine times to the engine's 16-revolutions. We used the same engine on DC-3's and C-47's, but with 3:2 gear reduction. I have shown #1, i.e. the left outboard engine. The prop is a Hamilton Standard 23E50 with 6477A-0 "paddle blades", also used on many C-47's. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
Photo ID: 1011082
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Notes: B-17's operated at high altitudes. Engines are internally supercharged, but each also has an exhaust-driven turbocharger. This "packs" the air that the engine breathes, making it more dense and allowing the engine to produce much more power at altitudes of 30,000' and higher. You can see a better photo of a turbocharger, in my Collings B-24 photos. |
| Photographer: Stoltzfus, Ken |
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