Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, F-AZDX / 8246, Association Fortresse Toujours Volant en France
This picture is © Martin Laycock and may not be used or published without permission.
Registration: F-AZDX
Construction Number: 8246
Code Number: 48846 / J / DS-M / 'Pink Lady' / Mother & Country'
Model Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
Operator: Association Fortresse Toujours Volant en France
Airport: Duxford (QFO / EGSU), UK - England
Photographer: Martin Laycock
Date Taken: 08/07/2006
Date Submitted: 28/05/2009
Some wartime atmosphere being recreated at Flying Legends 2006. This B-17 was rolled out of the Lockheed-Vega factory at Burbank, California in December 1944, she was then delivered to the USAAF at Cheyenne, Wyoming on the 17 January 1945. On 1 March she was delivered to RAF Polebrook, Northamptonshire where she was assigned to the 511th BS, 351st BG of the 8th Air Force, she flew six combat missions over Germany with this unit prior to the war ending. After the war she remained in England and was transferred to the 365th BS, 305th BG based at Chelveston, Northamptonshire. In May 1945 she was transferred again, to the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron at Lechfeld, Germany where she participated in the 'Casey Jones Project' an ambitious plan to map Germany by air. On 22 March 1949 and by now designated an RB-17G, she moved again, to Wiesbaden where she remained until February 1953 when she returned to the USA. On her return to the States she was assigned to the Ogden Air Materiel Command Center at Hill AFB, Utah. She was retired from the Air Force on 10 November 1954 at Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania. In December of 1954 she was purchased by the Institut Geographic National and was flown to France for use as an aerial survey aircraft based at Creil to the north of Paris. Now registered F-BGSP, she performed survey missions all over the world accumulating 9,483 flying hours. She was retired again on 27 August 1979 and was placed into storage. She was subsequently restored to airworthiness, funded partly by Air France. In May of 1985 she was given to the 'Forteresse Toujours Volante' association in partnership with the Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis. Pink Lady was then re-registered as F-AZDX. She has appeared in several feature-films, such as the 1966 French comedy, 'Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At' (Original title: "La Grande Vadrouille"), 1968's 'The biggest bundle of them all' and in 1990 'Memphis Belle' in which she appeared as 25703/DF-S 'Mother & Country'. In 1999 she was painted back in her original 511th BS markings although she remains in the Olive Drab applied to her for the Memphis Belle movie.
Picture ID:1175608