Liberty Belle (aircraft)
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Liberty Belle was a popular name for United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircraft during World War II; over two dozen known individual Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators used the name.
The combat Liberty Belles were commemorated by two B-17s which used the name, with one still remaining as a static display: Miss Liberty Belle (
Restored Liberty Belle B-17
Boeing B-17 (sn. 44–85734)
The B-17 was eventually purchased by aviation enthusiast Don Brooks, who formed the Liberty Foundation to exhibit it as the Liberty Belle. Restoration began in 1992 with parts from another damaged B-17 (sn. 44–85813), performed by Tom Reilly and company/
On the morning of 13 June 2011, Liberty Belle made a forced landing in
Museum 44-83690
Miss Liberty Belle (sn. 44–83690), a B-17G, was modified postwar to serve with the United States Air Force as a drone director DB-17P, before being retired in 1958. It was on display at the Grissom Air Museum from 1961 to 2015, just outside the former Grissom Field in central Indiana where it was displayed as sn. 42–31255, Miss Liberty Belle of the 305th Bombardment Group stationed at RAF Chelveston that crashed in the English village of Wymington in 1944.
The aircraft was moved to the Museum of Aviation at Warner Robins, Georgia, in 2015 for restoration.[9]
References
- ^ a b Scott Rose, warbirdsresourcegroup.org. "Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Registry – A Warbirds Resource Group Site". warbirdregistry.org. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ "Miscellaneous B-17 Information". Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ "Restoring the Liberty Belle B-17". Northeast Pilots Group. May 18, 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ "1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-83886 to 44-92098)". Encyclopedia of American Aircraft. Joseph F. Baugher. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
- ^ "American airplanes: Boeing A-B". Aerofiles.com. 14 February 2002. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ^ Sarkauskas, Susan; Santana, Marco (14 June 2011). "Fire destroys WWII bomber in Oswego". Daily Herald. Paddock Publications, Inc. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
- ^ "Miss Vilma and Liberty Belle". A2A Simulations. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ "B-17s: Where to find them". Aero Vintage Books. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ "B-17G "Flying Fortress" Undergoing Restoration". Museum of Aviation. Museum of Aviation Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
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1950 with T-34 turboprop | |
2001 restoration | |
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2009 taxiing (vimeo) | |
2011 fire (CNN) | |
2011 fire (youtube) |