How many b17 are still flying in the UK?

Over 50 Flying Fortresses survive today with a dozen or so in airworthy condition. The UK’s sole airworthy B-17 – the ‘Sally B’ – is maintained at the . Imperial War Museum, Duxford.

How many B 29s are still airworthy?

Two
Only 22 complete B-29 airframes are currently restored in the United States. Two of these are airworthy. We’ve had the privilege of seeing, and photographing, 16 of these during the last two years.

How many engines does AB 17 need to fly?

Four
Technical Specifications

First flight July 28, 1935 (prototype)
Ceiling 35,600 feet
Power Four 1,200-horsepower Wright R-1820-97 engines
Accommodation 2 pilots, bombardier, navigator, radio-operator, 5 gunners
Armament 11 to 13 machine guns, 9,600-pound bomb load

How many B 17s exist today?

Between 1935 and May 1945, 12,732 B-17s were produced. Of these aircraft, 4,735 were lost during combat missions. At one time, more than 1,000 B-17s could be assembled for mass combat missions. Today, fewer than 100 B-17 airframes exist and fewer still are in airworthy condition.

Can a B-17 fly on 1 engine?

It had a crew of ten and could carry 6,000 pounds of bombs at 300 miles per hour for a range of 2,000 miles. Its famous nickname came from the fact it carried 13 . 50 caliber M2 Browning machine guns for protection, and had a legendary toughness for carrying its crew home on one engine or even with the tail shot away.

Was the b29 a failure?

Four hundred and fourteen B-29s were lost bombing Japan—147 of them to flak and Japanese fighters, 267 to engine fires, mechanical failures, takeoff crashes and other “operational losses.” Do the math and you’ll see that for every B-29 lost to the enemy, almost two were lost to accidents and crashes.

Can the Memphis Belle still fly?

The Liberty Foundation’s B-17 “Memphis Belle” is one of only 13 B-17’s that still fly today. The B-17, dubbed the “Flying Fortress” as a result of her defensive fire power, saw action in every theater of operation during World War II.

What plane replaced the B-17?

Liberator
Liberators served in all theaters of WWII and in all branches of the US military. While the B-17 was preferred by the Americans in Europe, it was almost entirely replaced in the Pacific by the Liberator, which had a much greater range.

How did the B-17 get to England?

It originated at several Army Air Bases in New England, which permitted short range single-engined aircraft to be flown to Britain using a series of intermediate airfields in Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland and Iceland.

Did the B-17 have a toilet?

During World War 2, large bomber aircraft, such as the American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the British Avro Lancaster, carried chemical toilets (basically a bucket with seat and cover, see bucket toilet); in British use, they were called “Elsans” after the company that manufactured them.

How many individual bombs did a B-17 carry?

Known as Class-C Fire Bombs and with a capacity of 108 US gallons, these bombs were only used in few missions. A B-17 carried four such bombs with tiny igniter units fitted to each tank.

How many guns does a B-17 have?

The B-17’s armament consisted of five .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns, with a payload up to 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) of bombs on two racks in the bomb bay behind the cockpit. The aircraft was powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet radial engines, each producing 750 hp (600 kW) at 7,000 ft (2,100 m).

What is b 17 bomber?

The B-17 was a low-wing monoplane that combined aerodynamic features of the XB-15 giant bomber, still in the design stage, and the Model 247 transport.

What is Boeing B – 17?

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps ( USAAC ). Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry (prototype Model 299/XB-17) outperformed both competitors and exceeded the air corps’ performance specifications.