The Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" Page

The Boeing B-17G or "Flying Fortress" possibly the best known American aircraft of the second world war. It was designed by the Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington.

The Seattle Daily Times carried a feature with a photograph bearing the caption "15 Ton Flying Fortress", this caught the imagination of Boeing's management and they duly registered the name.

The aircraft flew over 300 operations, which is over 8700 sorties, from Framlingham Station 153 which we now know as parham Airfield Museum.

The Boeing B-17G "Flying Fortress"

DESIGNED By
Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington

BUILT UNDER LICENSE BY
Vega Aircraft Company (now Lockheed)

MODEL
B-17G Flying Fortress

REQUIRED CREW: 8 - 10
Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, Bombardier, Flight Engineer (top turret gunner), Radio Operator, 2 Waist Gunners, Tail Gunner and Ball Turret Gunner

POWER
The B-17G is powered by four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone Model R-1820-97 engines. These engines are nine cylinder, radial, air-cooled type with a 16:9 gear ratio. The propellers are three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers, 11 feet, 7 inches in diameter.

WEIGHTS
Basic Empty Weight 34,000 lbs.
Gross Weight (Wartime) 65,500 lbs.

FUEL CAPACITY
1,700 gallons

"Leading The Big Show" © Frank R Drain

RANGE
1,850 miles. Range could be extended when equipped with "Tokyo Tanks" which provided a total capacity of 3,630 gallons.

WING SPAN
103 feet, 9 inches

LENGTH
74 feet, 4 inches

HEIGHT
19 feet, 1 inch

SERVICE CEILING
35,600 feet

In formation B-17's form the 390th Bomb Group.

The Ball Turret Gunner from the B-17 "Hot Rocks".

ARMAMENT
Thirteen Browning M-2 .50 caliber machine guns. Fire rate approximately 13 rounds per second. No gun on a B-17 carried more than one minute's supply of ammunition.

BOMB LOAD
Depending on types of bombs, maximum normal load could go to 8,000 lbs. If B-17 was fitted with special external racks, maximum normal short-range bomb load could go as high as 17,600 lbs.

SPEED
Maximum 300 mph. at 30,000 ft.
Maximum continuous 263 mph. at 25,000 ft.
Cruising speed 170 mph.
Landing 74 mph.
Rate of Climb 37 minutes to 20,000 ft.

NUMBER BUILT
12,732. Production peaked at 16 airplanes a day in April 1944.

Today there are about a dozen B-17's still flying.

Tribute to the endeavours of American airmen who flew The Boeing B-17G or
"Flying Fortress" during WWll