I found an interesting article about WW Two B-17’s in CA. I think I’ve been to see all the ones listed in the following article except the one not on public display.
The B-17 journey started at the Lyons Air Museum in Costa Mesa, CA. This small museum was all indoor and only takes 1-2 hours to visit, but what is there is well maintained and offers the only B-17 in CA that still flies. Internet sites record that only 6 B-17’s still fly, 5 in the US and one in England.
We went to watch the Fuddy Duddy fly on a rare scheduled flying day. Mechanical problems grounded the plane that day and since so many people had planned to see the flight, they decided to open the plane and allow guests to walk/crawl through it, an even rarer event than seeing one fly.
The B-17 is an iconic aircraft with a beautiful look and great reputation amount its pilots and crew. 12,000 were produced during the war. The B-24 would had more produced at 18,000 because it carried a slighter larger payload and could travel a bit farther than the B-17. But most pilots we not in love with the B-24 as it was more difficult to fly and had a poor reputation.
The Palm Springs Air Museum currently has two B-17s, Miss Angela and The Movie Memphis Belle, along with many other aircraft. The Museum is nicely done and has plenty to see, mostly indoors so you can get out of the heat.
I visited the Palm Springs Air Museum several years ago while attending an event for the Zamperini Foundation. I met Luke Zamperini there regarding a project we were collaborating on together. I don’t have photos of Miss Angela but I viewed it on the visit. The Movie Memphis Belle was not there during my visit as it arrived in 202.
Whenever I get a chance to get back to So Cal. I might get the opportunity to get back to the Palm Springs Air Museum and get those missing pictures.
Not far from Palm Springs is the March Field Air Museum in Riverside featuring Starduster. The museum has a few planes indoors, but most are on display outside. Still plenty to see and easy access.
Traveling north there are two more B-17s to see right off Hwy 99. The B-17 in Tulare is literally observable for the Hwy. I’ve passed this plan 20-30 times over the years and never stopped to see it. Knowing that we would eventually move I thought I’d better take a quick pit stop, read the plaque and get a picture. It’s the only B-17 you can see without buying a ticket. No name on the plane.
Finally at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater you can see Virgins Delight. I only had a brief stop here but got the picture s and the quick history of this plan.
The article has more details about each plan and locations.
It’s one of those things where history is all around you if you just take the time to stop and look around. B-17’s simply represents a small piece of the industrial might that helped the US and the Allies win WW Two.
If you’d like a deep dive into that industrial might, watch the War Factories documentary show posted on YouTube. Twenty-Two episodes. Fascinating!
