Came across this one recently. What not to do when landing your B17B apparently. Writing on the back of the photo says "Joe Wilfley plane" so at least something to go on for the mystery of this photo.
Note the officers standing around while the enlisted do the work
And of course a classic prewar officer look. Doubt those showed up in the Air Corps post Pearl Harbor
Good catch, Dan! I LOVE seeing photos of early Forts I haven't seen before.
I've been involved in a couple of "off in the soft ground" incidents with jetliners and I can see some things don't change--they started with lumber that wouldn't hold the weight of the airplane and now they're re-thinking things....... I reckon they need a couple of farm kids to requisition some heavy timbers!
Could be upgraded; it's got the bathtub underneath. Where did you find the original? Looks like you were zooming in on some areas. If you can zoom in on the nose, that data block might just barely be readable. Zoom in on the aft fuselage below the wing and you might see the lower edge of the patch for the new gun window.
It appears that this MIGHT refer to John Joseph Wilfley, of the 30th SQD, 19th BG who enlisted in 1941 and who died in 1943. He was a Crewman, not an Officer.
So this is airplane #5 of the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron?
Wikipedia notes: ...upgraded to the B-18 Bolo in 1938, and in 1939 to early-model Boeing B-17B Flying Fortress for long range reconnaissance patrols. Moved to Fort Douglas, Utah in 1940 when the short runways at Hamilton proved inadequate for B-17 operations, with a secondary move to Salt Lake City Army Air Base in January 1941 where it was upgraded to the B-17E.
Fort Douglas meaning aircraft actually based at what is now Salt Lake City Intl.
Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com