Outfitted for battle, B-17 bomber on display in Toledo
World War II and TOLEDO — airplane enthusiasts will have the chance to fly in a piece of history this weekend at Toledo Express Airport.
A World War II-era Boeing B-17 bomber landed in Toledo Monday, and members of the media had been slated to tour the plane ahead of this weekend’s event hosted by the Liberty Foundation. The aircraft was designed in 1934 and helped the United States polish off Germany near the end of the war.
Volunteer mechanic Jon Eads said it’s an honor to take care of the plane.
“A lot of our veterans are 90 to 100 years old now,” Eads said. “When we get them out here, they are our primary concern to make sure they have a good time with their old office. We bring them out, and they are able to tell their story.”
The foundation was started by Don Brooks, whose father was a tailgunner in the original 390th Bombardment Group during World War II. The plane visits about 50 cities in the United States each year.
Once known as “Chucky B,” the bomber is now named “Madras Maiden” for the base where it is housed in Madras, Oregon. Plans for media to take a ride in the plane were scrapped after an issue arose with the exhaust system. However, Eads said a replacement part is on the way, and the aircraft will be ready for the weekend.
Flights for the public will start about 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday morning. The flight lasts 30 minutes and costs $450 for non-Liberty Foundation members. Eads said it costs about $5,000 an hour to operate the plane.
This specific B-17 was used for training in Dayton and did not see combat, but it is still outfitted for battle. Turrets adorn the nose, sides, tail, and belly of the plane. The chin turrets on the bottom of the nose shoot straight out and were added to the later versions of the bomber.
“This lower turret was designed because the Germans figured out early on that if they came straight on at the same altitude as the bomber, the cheek guns (which shot at an angle) could not get at them.”
The B-17 is powered by four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone engines. During wartime, a full crew consisted of ten: pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, flight engineer, radio operator, two waist gunners, tail gunner, and ball turret gunner.
B-17s were primarily used in carpet bombing missions in Europe, destroying factories, oilfields, and anything else vital to Germany’s hopes of staying alive in the conflict.
Space is limited inside the plane, where the temperature was commonly between minus-30 and minus-60 degrees. Frostbite was the most common injury to crew members during the war.
The ball turret gunner was confined to a small, cramped space on the bottom of the aircraft.
“They found the guy with the shortest legs and longest body,” Eads said.
World War II veterans who flew similar bombers likely will be on-hand this weekend to accompany passengers.
“We’ve heard amazing stories; everything from lone survivors to guys that never got a scratch,” Eads said. “That’s part of our reason for coming out here; to not forget our veterans of World War II.”