A Great Resource for B-17 Enthusiasts and Aviation Historians
Welcome to the website for Aero Vintage Books, offering books and resources for aviation enthusiasts and historians since 1995. This website specializes in two things: the history of the post-World War II B-17 and the few existing survivors. The B-17 remains central in the history of the air war over Europe during World War II, but the saga it carried forward after 1945 is also a big part of the story about the famous Flying Fortress. Aero Vintage Books offers THE best source of information about the Post-War B-17 and the B-17 Survivors in the 288 page book Final Cut offered for sale on this website.
Also offered on this site: the largest single source of information about a distinguished and historical aviation company, Tallmantz Aviation and the two Hollywood pilots that created it, Paul Mantz and Frank Tallman.
And, if you plumb into the depths of this website, you will find a few other goodies: some information about civil B-25 Mitchells, the large and historic CAA/FAA aircraft fleet, and a detailed story of building a Van’s RV-8 airplane. All good stuff…please stick around and see what is here.
Latest News
1956: USAF B-17s For Bolivia
From 1950 through the early 1980s, Bolivia came to operate 26 B-17s as cargo transports, mostly ‘meat-haulers’ that transported freshly slaughtered beef from sea-level airstrips
The Love Field Forts
The year is 1960 and the place is Dallas. The mournful wind that sweeps across the flat plains of north central Texas whistles through the
Studebaker B-17 Artwork: A Personal Story
During World War II, the automotive company Studebaker built nearly 68,000 R-1820 engines from one of its production plants in South Bend, Indiana. By the
2024 B-17 Spring and Summer Tours Announced
As the spring and summer flying and airshow season gets underway, it’s nice to see all three of the actively flying B-17s in the U.S.