Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress PDF eBook & Flight Manuals

Price: $49.95

  • 21 magazines, 14 flight manuals, & photos
  • PDFs contain 4,344 pages
  • Print a personal copy
  • Pay via PayPal or Credit Card
  • International orders welcome!
  • Download files upon payment

August 1971

  • The First Fortresses, Special B-17 Portfolio

September 1972

  • Crash Landing the B-17

November 1972

  • Flying Fortresses of the Silver Screen

August 1974

  • YB-17s – Birth of the B-17 Flying Fortress

September 1974

  • The Forgotten Fortresses, The B-17 Goes To War

November 1974

  • B-17 Flying Phoenix, From Atomic Target to Borate Bomber

January 1976

  • Monogram Ultimate B-17 Model Kit

January 1984

  • Super B-17, One of WWII’s Best Kept Secrets

February 1977

  • Four Decades with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

June 1978

  • Boeing’s Flying Autograph Book, The Famous B-17

October 1978

  • Photo Essay of B-17 Bomber Combat over Europe

September 1980

  • XB-38, The Allison-Powered B-17

February 1981

  • Israeli B-17s in Action

 

March 1988

  • Final Ferry Flight of a B-17G

April 1989

  • Story of Bert Stiles, B-17 and P-51 Pilot

May 1989

  • Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, A Classic B-17 is Restored

December 1990

  • Saga of WWII B-17 Crews in Combat

July 1996

  • Complete Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Collector’s Edition

September 1997

  • A Gunner’s Eye View of B-17s over WWII Europe

January 2000

  • Inside the Mighty B-17 Flying Fortress

January 2003

  • Story of Bert Stiles, B-17 and P-51 Pilot

Manuals & Photos

  • B-17 Pilot Training Manual
  • B-17 Pilots Manual
  • B-17C Flight Instructions, 1940
  • B-17E Parts Catalog, 1943
  • B-17F Cold Weather Operation, 1942
  • B-17F Erection Maintenance, 1942
  • B-17F Familiarization Manual, 1943
  • B-17F Mechanics Notebook, 1944
  • B-17F Operating Instructions, 1942
  • B-17F Pilots Handbook, 1942
  • B-17FG Operating Instructions, 1943
  • B-17G Erection Maintanence, 1944
  • B-17G Operating Instructions, 1944
  • B-17G Field Service Manual
  • Over 1,550 photos of the B-17 Flying Fortress

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

  • B -17G Specifications
  • Variants
  • Survivors
  • B-17F Cutaway

General Characteristics

B17G-diagram

  • Crew: 10: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier/nose gunner, flight engineer/top turret gunner, radio operator, waist gunners, ball turret gunner, tail gunner
  • Length: 74 ft 4 in (22.66 m)
  • Wingspan: 103 ft 9 in (31.62 m)
  • Height: 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
  • Wing area: 1,420 sq ft (131.92 m2)
  • Airfoil: NACA 0018 / NACA 0010
  • Aspect ratio: 7.57
  • Empty weight: 36,135 lb (16,391 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 54,000 lb (24,500 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 65,500 lb (29,700 kg)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Wright R-1820-97 “Cyclone” turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp(895 kW) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 287 mph (249 kn, 462 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 182 mph (158 kn, 293 km/h)
  • Range: 2,000 mi (1,738 nmi, 3,219 km) with 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) bombload
  • Service ceiling: 35,600 ft (10,850 m)
  • Rate of climb: 900 ft/min (4.6 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 38.0 lb/sq ft (185.7 kg/m2)
  • Power/mass: 0.089 hp/lb (150 W/kg)

Armament

  • Guns: 13 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in 8 positions (2 in the Bendix chin turret, 2 on nose cheeks, 2 staggered waist guns, 2 in upper Sperry turret, 2 in Sperry ball turret in belly, 2 in the tail and one firing upwards from radio compartment behind bomb bay)
  • Bombs:
    • Short range missions (<400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg)
    • Long range missions (?800 mi): 4,500 lb (2,000 kg)
    • Overload: 17,600 lb (7,800 kg)
Variant Produced First Flight
Model 299 1 28 July 1935
YB-17 13 2 December 1936
YB-17A 1 29 April 1938.
B-17B 39 27 June 1939
B-17C 38 21 July 1940
B-17D 42 3 February 1941
B-17E 512 5 September 1941
B-17F (total) 3,405 30 May 1942
B-17F-BO 2,300  
B-17F-DL 605  
B-17F-VE 500  
B-17G (total) 8,680 16 August 1943
B-17G-BO 4,035  
B-17G-DL 2,395  
B-17G-VE 2,250  
Total 12,731  
 

Brazil

  • 44-85583 B-17G – Recife Air Force Base.
  • 44-83718 B-17G – in storage at the Museu da FAB in Rio de Janeiro.

France

  • 44-8846 B-17G The Pink Lady – Forteresse Toujours Volante in Paris.
  • 44-8889 B-17G – in storage at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in Paris.

United Kingdom

  • 44-85784 B-17G (registration G-BEDF) Sally B – B-17 Preservation Group, based at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford and painted as 41-24485 (124485).
  • 44-83735 B-17gG Mary Alice – American Air Museumin Duxford. (Aircraft is currently undergoing a 16-month conservation effort at the Imperial War Museum – Duxford.)
  • 44-83868 B-17G – Royal Air Force Museum London in Hendon.

United States

Airworthy

B-17F

  • 42-29782 Boeing Bee – stored but is airworthy and owned by the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.

B-17G

  • 44-8543 Madras Maiden – Erickson Aircraft Collection in Madras, Oregon.
  • 44-83514 Sentimental Journey – Commemorative Air Force (Airbase Arizona) in Mesa, Arizona.
  • 44-83546 Memphis Belle (this is the movie stand-in) – The Liberty Foundation in Claremore, Oklahoma. It is on loan from the Military Aircraft Restoration Corp. in Anaheim, California.
  • 44-83563 Fuddy Duddy – Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California.
  • 44-83575 Nine-O-Nine – Collings Foundationin Stow, Massachusetts.
  • 44-83872 Texas Raiders – Commemorative Air Force (Gulf Coast Wing) in Houston, Texas.
  • 44-85718 Thunderbird – Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas.
  • 44-85740 Aluminum Overcast – Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
  • 44-85778 Miss Angela – Palm Springs Air Museum in Palm Springs, California.
  • 44-85829 Yankee Lady – Yankee Air Force in Belleville, Michigan.

On display

B-17E

  • 41-9032 My Gal Sal – National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

B-17F

  • 42-3374 Homesick Angel – Offutt AFB, Nebraska.

B-17G

  • 42-32076 Shoo Shoo Baby – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.
  • 43-38635 Virgin’s Delight – Castle Air Museum at the former Castle AFB in Atwater, California.
  • 44-6393 Starduster – March Field Air Museum at March Air Reserve Base (formerly March AFB) in Moreno Valley, California.
  • 44-83512 Heaven’s Above – Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas.
  • 44-83542 Piccadilly Princess – Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida.
  • 44-83559 – Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska.
  • 44-83624 Sleepy Time Gal – Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover AFB, Delaware.
  • 44-83663 Short Bier – Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill AFB, Utah.
  • 44-83863 – Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida.
  • 44-83785 Shady Lady – Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
  • 44-83884 Miss Liberty (formerly Yankee Doodle II) – Barksdale Global Power Museum(Formerly Eighth Air Force Museum) at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana.
  • 44-85599 Reluctant Dragon – Dyess Linear Air Park at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas.
  • 44-85738 Preston’s Pride – AMVETS Chapter 56 (Mefford Field) in Tulare, California.
  • 44-85828 I’ll Be Around – Pima Air & Space Museum adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona.

Under restoration or in storage

B-17D

  • 40-3097 The Swoose – Under restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. and is the oldest known complete B-17 in existence.

B-17E

  • 41-2446 Swamp Ghost – for display by the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor.
  • 41-2595 Desert Rat – to airworthiness by Michael W. Kellner in Marengo, Illinois.
  • 41-9210 – in storage at the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington. Sold immediately after production on the civilian market in 1943 to a Canadian airline. Sold to a Bolivian airline crashed and restored to airworthiness in 1976. Brought back to US in 1990. Purchased in 1999 and now in storage.

B-17F

  • 41-24485 Memphis Belle – Under restoration for display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (NMUSAF) at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. Previously displayed in a park in Memphis, Tennessee.

B-17G

  • 43-38978 – in storage by Donald Wisler in Tampa, Florida.
  • 44-83525 Suzy Q – in storage at the Fantasy of Flight Museum in Polk City, Florida.
  • 44-83684 Piccadilly Lilly II – to airworthiness by the Planes of Fame in Chino, California.
  • 44-83690 – for display at the Museum of Aviation, Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia. Formerly displayed as “Miss Liberty Belle” at Grissom Air Museum, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Kokomo, Indiana.
  • 44-83814 City of Savannah – on display by the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia, outside restored, inside to be done.
  • 44-83790 – for display by Don Brooks in Douglas, Georgia.
  • 44-85790 Lacey Lady – to airworthiness by volunteers at the B-17 Alliance, McNary Field in Salem, Oregon.
  • 44-85813 Champaign Lady – to airworthiness by volunteers at the Champaign Aviation Museum, Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio. Registration is held by Tech II.