B-17 TV/Films
Making the B-17 Film “The War Lover”
In 1959, novelist John Hersey’s The War Lover was published, creating the story of a volatile B-17 combat pilot who enjoyed his job just a
Scott Thompson
July 19, 2022
News and Information
Reviews
Everything But the Flak
A quirky little book by a renowned aviation author…that’s the best way to describe Everything But The Flak. For those unfamiliar with B-17 lore, the book
Scott Thompson
July 15, 2022
B-17 Articles
November1947: The U.S. Navy Seeks Surplus B-17s
There was a time in the post-war period when the Navy was desperateto get its hands on B-17s…any B-17s anywhere…making it desperate enough to come
Scott Thompson
July 14, 2022
B-17 Articles
Secret B-17 Recon Missions of 1948
At the conclusion of World War II, the U.S. was the dominant air power, by far, over the rest of world’s military forces. That diminished
Scott Thompson
June 25, 2022
B-17 News
Kingman B-17 Nose Art Panel
Rob Kirkwood sent me some information and photos of a B-17 nose art panel that I was not aware of. The nose art panel is
Scott Thompson
June 23, 2022
B-17 News
B-17 In Blue Now Available as an eBook
The big Aero Vintage website update is that the eBook version of B-17 In Blue: The Flying Fortress in U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard service is
Scott Thompson
June 4, 2022
B-17 Articles
The Last B-17 (sorta)
For the U.S. military, the Boeing B-17s was primarily operated by the Army Air Forces during World War II. A sizeable number of B-17s continued
Scott Thompson
May 26, 2022
B-17 Articles
The Dominican B-17s
In an obscure little corner of the B-17 story are the B-17s used by the air arm of the Dominican Republic in the late 1940s
Scott Thompson
May 21, 2022
B-17 Articles
Last DB-17/QB-17 Drone Mission (August 6, 1959)
The B-17 soldiered on with the Army Air Forces and, later, United States Air Force (USAF) after World War II ended in 1945. Though immediately
Scott Thompson
April 30, 2022
B-17 Articles
A Big Hangar and B-17 Wing Spars
Looking back at some information I posted a few years ago on a B-17 News Page at the aerovintage webiste, I found this tidbit that
Scott Thompson
April 22, 2022
B-25 News
Rare Hughes B-25C Restoration Progress
I received an update and recent photos of the restoration of B-25C 41-13251 (N3968C) from Air Classic’s Michael O’Leary. The work is being done by
Scott Thompson
April 17, 2022
B-17 News
B-17G Champaign Lady Update: 02/18/2022
One of the most impressive B-17 restoration efforts is that being performed by the Champaign Aviation Museum at Urbana, Ohio. This effort is in the
Scott Thompson
February 18, 2022
B-17 Air Tankers
The First B-17 ‘Borate Bomber’
The B-17 had a long and distinguished utilization as an air tanker in the annual battle against forest and range fires fought in the U.S.
Scott Thompson
February 16, 2022
B-17 News
B-17G Thunderbird Update: February 10, 2022
The B-17G owned and operated by the Mid America Flight Museum, 44-85718 (N900RW), better known as Thunderbird, remains under heavy maintenance at the Erickson Aircraft
Scott Thompson
February 10, 2022
B-17 Articles
Story of a B-17E: Nobby’s Harriet “Z”
Way back in July 2015, I posted an image on my Aero Vintage B-17 News page sent in to me by noted author Steve Birdsall
Scott Thompson
February 9, 2022
Tallmantz Aviation
Cinerama, “How the West Was Won,” and Tallmantz Aviation
Last week I posted an nice photo of the Tallmantz B-25N camera ship, that being N1042B. In the text that I wrote to accompany that
Scott Thompson
February 3, 2022
B-17 Production
The B-17s That Never Were
The sudden end of World War II in August 1945 brought a tremendous upheaval to the American airplane manufacturers. Adjustments to contracts had already occurred
Scott Thompson
February 3, 2022
B-17 News
Update on EAA B-17G Aluminum Overcast
The Experimental Aircraft Association’s B-17G, Aluminum Overcast (44-85740, N5017N), has been grounded at Punta Gorda, Florida, since April 2021 after a wing-attach issue was found.
Scott Thompson
January 29, 2022
Tallmantz Aviation
Early Photo of Tallmantz B-25 N1042B
I came across a photo of B-25N 44-30823 (N1042B) the other day that I found particularly interesting, and will probably only be interesting to the
Scott Thompson
January 27, 2022
B-17 News
New B-17 Movie “Wolf Hound” for Summer 2022
A movie that has been flying a bit below the radar surfaced in mid-January 22, 2022, with the announcement by Grindstone Entertainment Group that it
aerovintage
January 26, 2022
B-17 Armament
B-17E Remote Turret: Bendix or Sperry?
This is a bit of an old subject here at Aero Vintage Books, but I thought it worth revisiting. The first B-17Es rolled from the
Scott Thompson
January 21, 2022
B-17 News
B-17G Liberty Belle Update: January 20, 2022
The effort to rebuild B-17G 44-85734, better known as Liberty Belle, is moving forward at full speed ahead. While most of the effort is being
Scott Thompson
January 20, 2022
B-17 News
B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby on the move to the National Air and Space Museum
B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby on the move to the National Air and Space Museum Posted news regarding B-17G Shoo Shoo Baby today on the NMUSAF
Scott Thompson
December 6, 2021
B-17 News
B-17G N3703G Moves to Palm Springs
B-17G N3703G “The Movie Memphis Belle” Moves to Palm Springs As widely reported elsewhere but nonetheless reported here, B-17G 44-83546 (N3703G), also known as the
Scott Thompson
November 19, 2021
Reviews
Surviving B-17s DVD: “Miss Angela”–A Fire Bomber’s Life
Surviving B-17s DVD: “Miss Angela”–A Fire Bomber’s Life I think it worth passing along the availability of a new DVD from Aviation Archeology that has,
Scott Thompson
August 7, 2021
Tallmantz Aviation
Tallmantz P-40s
I just added the individual aircraft histories of the six P-40s that were associated with Paul Mantz, Frank Tallman, and/or Tallmantz Aviation though the years.
Scott Thompson
August 7, 2021
B-17G N900RW from Lone Star to Mid American Flight Museum
This is not new news, but needs to be mentioned….as released by the Lone Star Flight Museum on December 21: The Lone Star Flight Museum
Scott Thompson
February 24, 2021
Reviews
Review: The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in Foreign Service
Review: The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in Foreign Service Jan Forsgren’s The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in Foreign Service fills a void in B-17 literature. As the
Scott Thompson
October 13, 2020
WWI Replicas (not) at Tallmantz Aviation, September 1962
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Scott Thompson
May 27, 2020
Update on the Site
Obviously…I have not updated these posts in some time…and in that time much has changed. The B-17G known as 909 crashed in October 2019 with the
Scott Thompson
May 18, 2020