Air Scouts B-17G, Paducah, KY 1946 CONFIRMED!!!

[05564]

What a great story ! Thank you Chris, Scott and Nick, for trying to get to the bottom of this mystery. I hope this one gets solved.

[Chris Brame]

Another piece of the story. This came from the "You Know You're From Paducah, KY When..." Facebook page; someone posted the photo from the Aero Vintage RFC page last year, and this was a response from Bob Myrick:

I know about the B-17G @ Howell Field. years ago. It was flown in after the war, to be put on public display. It was, obviously, flight ready, only the armament had been removed. As a kid, I was taken out there many times on Sunday afternoons, to go thru it and climb all over it...it was an amazing aircraft. It was there for several years, during which time, it was stripped of everything inside and out, that had any value, and was stolen. Howell Field was not staffed 24/7 (and sure not at night). Last time I saw the plane, later, the only thing left was just the shell of the airframe, in the same location. Even the large tires on the front landing gears were taken, and the landing gears were resting on concrete blocks. I don't know what happened to what was left of the airframe.

Sounds pretty typical for what happened to many other RFC donated aircraft.

A couple nice fellows from the Paducah Library are helping me look for that elusive tail photo...

[terveurn]

Going to suggest you pick-up a wonderful book on the Boeing built B-17G-50 through 60 aircraft - over 400 photos (many, many training pictures) - complete listing of the salvage yards were they were sent.

A very handy guide for these airframes


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/069236546X

Walnut Ridge Pg 1.JPG

cover art.JPG

[Chris Brame]

Terveurn, I really wish so much I could get this book but I just don't have the money - I understand it must have been a labor of love.

Someday when I get that last missing piece of the puzzle (with all those people there, somebody must have taken another photo!) and the serial shows up, that info can be added to the book, I hope.

[Chris Brame]

Well, another trip to Paducah under my belt. Posted a flyer showing the news photo on the bulletin board at the local Boy Scout store/heaquarters, and had a nice and hopefully productive chat with the lady who runs an antique mall there. She said she knew someone who should know more and is the leader of her son's Scout troop. Also spent several hours at the library scouring local yearbooks for candid photos, and read through several months of 1946, 1947 and 1950 issues of the Sun-Democrat; they had a weekly aviation column with news on the local airports. I also scanned the image of the plane several more times trying to get the nose number to pop out. Gave a flyer to the head of the reference department.

Net result: At this moment, it's still 42-1028?? ...

Also, my cousin's daughter got married.

[terveurn]

In any of the pictures, can you make out the Hobbs Field number - that would be a major start to finding out this aircraft's serial number.

If she had no cheek guns, then she will never have a 42-1028 serial number as this is when they were installed on the Boeing line.

[Chris Brame]

Believe me, I've been trying:



Been staring at these until my eyeballs fall out.

Re the cheek guns - remember, we discussed this? There were 20 B-17Gs in the 42-102800 series (four batches of five each) that did not go to Cheyenne for mods:

42-102864 through 868
42-102874 through 878
42-102884 through 888
42-102894 through 898

and despite being over the 800 mark, every photo of a plane in those batches that we've found so far has no cheek guns.
42-102868:


42-102877:


42-102895:

[jmkendall]

Hey Chris,

Have you ever checked to see if there was a police report for the vandalism? I used to be law enforcement and I would have taken the serial number down. If for no other reason than that it might be on some of the items stolen.

[Chris Brame]

Good idea, although a million-to-one shot that the records on a 70-year-old theft still exist.
Found a phone number for Bob Myrick - hope it's the same guy, worth a shot...

[terveurn]

so far, the only B-17G, natural metal without cheek guns installed I have found for Hobbs (with photo evidence) is aircraft H-98.

the other possibility was H-88 but she was SOC in August 1944

hobbs 98.jpg

[jmkendall]

Have you seen this? It was posted to a B-17 modelers page.

[jmkendall]

Typically Police departments do not throw away case files. I found the 1928 arrest record for my Great Grandfather when he was a smuggler for Joe Kennedy.

[terveurn]

Have you seen this? It was posted to a B-17 modelers page.

the remains in front are from H-88 (42-102895) - SOC in August 1944

H-68 is still unidentified

[Chris Brame]

jmkendall, you have an interesting family!
Here's a clearer version of that photo, one of a batch taken September 7, 1944 during/after an unusually heavy rainstorm (credit to cottonchipper on Photobucket, found on the HobbsHistory site):

Wouldn't I love to get my hands on those photos and do some high-res scans...

[Chris Brame]

Paul and Terry Freeman of the Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields site have put me in touch with Dexter Howell's grandson's wife and I sent her an email a few hours ago. (Dexter owned Howell Field.) Fingers crossed.

ETA: Just heard back and they don't have any family photos. As you were...