33- B-17G 44-83863 USAF Armament Museum Eglin AFB Valparaiso, Florida
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
-33- B-17G 44-83863 USAF Armament Museum Eglin AFB Valparaiso, Florida B-17G 44-83863 is one of four ex-Navy PB-1Ws to sur- went to NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, as one of four PB-1Ws vive today. After being retired from USN service, it operated attached to the new squadron. It was sent to Atsugi, Japan, as N5233V and was used exclusively as an aerial applicator on February 16, 1953, along with several other PB-1Ws, but and air tanker until obtained by the National Museum of the BuNo. 77231 would remain with VW-1 for the balance of its USAF for display at Eglin AFB in Florida. Navy utilization that ended on June 10, 1954. At that time it This Fortress rolled from the Long Beach assembly lines was again placed in storage at Litchfield Park. of the Douglas Aircraft Company on July 4, 1945. Though BuNo. 77231 was formally retired from Navy service earmarked for the U.S. Navy it was accepted by the Army Air on August 25, 1955, as were most of the Navy PB-1Ws. It Forces on July 5 and flown to Syracuse, New York, arriving and the other PB-1Ws were stricken from the inventory on on July 8, 1945. It was made available to the Navy on July July 10, 1956, after which they were placed up for disposal 11, but not delivered to NAS Johnsville, Pennsylvania, until by auction. July 16, 1945. It and twelve other surplus PB-1Ws were purchased by It became part of a group of twenty Fortresses at American Compressed Steel Corp. of Dallas, Texas, BuNo. NAS Johnsville that were placed into the Naval Aircraft 77231 being obtained for $9,333 on December 2, 1957. Modification Pool (NAMU) for conversion to PB-1Ws with Twelve of the Fortresses were initially issued a block of CAA the installation of search radar and other equipment. 44-83863 registration numbers from N6460D to N6471D, but they were was issued Navy serial 77231 and remained with the NAMU voided in the initial registration paperwork and never applied until February 1947 when it was assigned to VX-4 at NAS to the aircraft. Instead, registration numbers from N5225V to Quonset Point, Rhode Island. N5237V were issued to all thirteen Fortresses. The numbers PB-1W BuNo. 77231 was attached to VX-4 until 1950 were randomly assigned to the Fortresses with no attempts when assigned to NAS Norfolk and the Overhaul and Repair at applying them to sequential AAF or USN serial numbers. shops there. It was then placed in storage at the Naval Aircraft 77231 was issued N5233V. Storage Center at Litchfield Park, Arizona, on March 27, 1950, The surplus PB-1Ws were ferried from Litchfield Park to remaining for one year. Dallas-Love Field, one aircraft (N5236V) suffering a minor It was pulled from storage on March 31, 1951, and after go- landing accident upon arrival. The thirteen Fortresses were ing through the overhaul shops at Norfolk again, was assigned parked in a remote part of the airport to await further use. to VC-11 at NAS Miramar near San Diego. When VC-11 American Compressed Steel Corp. had apparently was incorporated into VW-1 on June 18, 1952, BuNo. 77231 purchased the Fortresses with the intention of converting Among a group of derelict ex-PB-1Ws at Love Field in Dallas, Texas, is N5233V. This airplane was parked in the weeds from 1957 until 1961 when it was purchased by Aero Union. (Richard Stratton via Ron Olsen Collection) Navy 77231 in derelict conditon at Dallas-Love Field in April 1960. One of thirteen surplus PB-1Ws parked at Dallas in 1958, N5233V was purchased by Aero Union in 1961 for conversion to an air tanker configuration. (E.C. Haney via R. Besecker) -197- Early photo of N5233V as a tanker while operated by Rogue Flying Service at Medford, Oregon, in September 1966. (William T. Larkins) them to executive transports. As noted in other chapters, ment behind the wings. Upon dropping the retardant tank American Compressed Steel purchased other Fortresses from from the bomb bay, the cracked assembly was located. It was the Air Force and both it and its succeeding corporation, determined that the aluminum skin had carried most of the Aero-American, were generally in the business of converting aerodynamic loads for the return flight. surplus military aircraft for civil use. One rumor making the The FAA immediately suspended the airworthiness rounds at Love Field in 1958 had the whole batch of Fortresses certificates of all B-17s pending investigation of the failure. bought by Cuba’s Fidel Castro in his bid to form a rebel air This had a dramatic effect, naturally, on both air tanker force as a counter to then-Cuban dictator Batista’s military operators and fire fighting efforts. It was later determined forces. That unlikely account had federal agents stepping in that the concentrated load of retardant in the bomb bay to prevent delivery of the bombers. area overstressed the structure, even though the maximum In any event, all plans for the PB-1Ws apparently fell allowable weight of the material never exceeded design through and they languished in their corner of the airport for limitations. The FAA downgraded the certificated load from several years. They began to trickle out as various civil buyers 2,000 gallons to 1,800 gallons of retardant. were found. Several went to Bolivia and two were used in the N5233V was subsequently repaired and all the B-17s filmThe War Lover. BuNo. 77231 was purchased on February had their airworthiness certificates restored. Nonetheless, 26, 1960, by Marson Equipment and Salvage Co. of Tucson, the structural failure, plus a rash of crashes, would cause the Arizona. Whether the PB-1W remained at Love Field after the Forest Service and tanker operators to begin a serious search sale or was flown to Arizona is not clear from the record. In for equipment to replace the aging B-17 and the type would any event, Marson Equipment sold it on September 27, 1961, generally be gone from the tanker fleets by 1980. to Aero Union, then of Anderson, California. N5233V would take an early retirement, however. Aero Aero Union retained N5233V for four months and then Union negotiated a trade with the Air Force Museum (now sold it to Rogue Flying Service of Medford, Oregon. At the renamed the National Museum of the USAF) that provided a time of the sale, 44-83863 had accumulated 2,473 hours of surplus C-118 to Aero Union while N5233V would be placed flight time. The Fortress was converted to an air tanker/aerial on display at the Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida. At applicator with the installation of two 1,000 gallon tanks in the time of the trade (late 1974) N5233V had amassed about July 1962, after which it was operated as Tanker F71. On April 3,600 hours of flight time. 1, 1963, it was transferred to Aero Ag, Inc., also of Medford, Aero Union stripped the tanker paint scheme from the who apparently operated it until 1971 when it was sold to Fortress. The retardant system was also removed, and a set of Idaho Aircraft Company of Boise, Idaho. bomb bay doors (no doubt cast aside many years earlier) rein- On June 6, 1971, N5233V made a complete circle and stalled. Aero Union operated its tankers with fiberglass nose returned to Aero Union now based at Chico, California. cones in place of the blown Plexiglas nose piece. They now Aero Union officially gained title, the first legal transfer of installed a glass nose, and the ex-PB-1W, ex-tanker was ready ownership in the ten years since they sold the bomber to Rogue to return to its first owner, the Air Force. Flying Service. Aero Union initially operated N5233V as Aero Union President Dale Newton and tanker buff Jim Tanker D1, joining four other B-17 air tankers in their tanker Babcock flew the Fortress to Eglin by way of Coolidge, fleet at the time. Arizona, and Addison, Texas. The ferry flight, which also On June 28, 1973, while operating as Tanker 18, N5233V included as passengers their respective wives, enjoyed a low suffered a broken “A” frame assembly in the bomb bay. Re- level run across the runways at NAS Pensacola, Florida, ports at the time indicated the tanker crew had felt something perhaps as a tip of the hat to the aircraft’s Navy past. “snap” while dropping a load, and flew the B-17 back to the The Fortress arrived at Eglin AFB and the Armament tanker base. An exterior inspection of the fuselage revealed Museum on June 19, 1975, and was initially marked as buckled skin on the wings and around the radio compart- Wicked Wanda, an aircraft of the 95th Bomb Group, Eighth -198- N5233V with Aero Union at Chico, California. At one time Aero Union was using five B-17s as air tankers, and all sported the Aero Union tanker colors with the fiberglass nose cone in place of the blown Plexiglas nose. (Tom Piedmonte via Roger Besecker) Air Force, as operated from Britain in World War II. It was chin positions. Other military equipment also was reinstalled, displayed without turrets and other armament and was placed which brought the external appearance of the Fortress back on blocks to preserve the tires. With the establishment of the to a combat configuration. Air Force Museum Program in 1980, the Air Force Armament The aircraft as displayed is no longer on blocks, greatly Museum was reorganized to better provide for the upkeep adding to its appearance.