@ New Orleans, LA
September 2024
From my last visit to the National WWII Museum, a very nice collection of aircraft located in the heart of New Orleans. Here is their Flying Fortress suspended from the ceiling. In 1942, during a ferry flight, this B-17 “My Gal Sal” made a forced landing on the Greenland ice pack where it remained until recovery in 1995. It is one of only four surviving B-17Es in existence. First flown in 1935, more than 12,700 of these iconic bombers were produced. The last operational mission flown by a USAF Flying Fortress was conducted on 6 August 1959, when a drone-control DB-17P directed a drone QB-17G as a target for an AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile test. A retirement ceremony was held several days later at Holloman AFB, after which the DB-17P was retired.
