The B-17 “Aluminum Overcast” is back in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, following a road trip in early February 2023 from Florida.
The B-17 was in Punta Gorda for repairs, but officials with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) officials determined it would be better to return the vintage aircraft to Oshkosh, so it was disassembled and loaded onto several trucks for the trek to Oshkosh.
Now back in Oshkosh at EAA’s Kermit Weeks Flight Research Center, the B-17 is undergoing repairs and eventual reassembly, which is expected to take most of 2023.
EAA officials say they hope to have the B-17 ready for flight testing in 2024.
“The EAA teams, our dedicated volunteers, and Florida Air Recovery in Punta Gorda have devoted thousands of hours to this project over the past two years, and we were gratified for their devoted efforts,” said Jeff Toline, EAA’s director of aircraft operations and maintenance. “At this point, it was deemed the best way to complete the task was to bring the airplane back to Oshkosh, so all the necessary resources could be immediately available.”
Aluminum Overcast had been in Punta Gorda since March 2021, when a routine pre-flight inspection revealed a crack emanating from the left sheer web, which is a secondary support structure for the wing. The only way to repair that is by removing the wing.
The repair itself is not overly complicated, but getting to it is, according to EAA officials.
As the wing was removed, EAA teams noticed other things that would be best served by repairing them at the same time. The parts for the vintage World War II bomber are currently being specially manufactured for the repairs, EAA officials report.
The aircraft also dodged two weather calamities in Florida: Hurricane Ian hit the Punta Gorda Airport in September 2022, but only caused minor damage to the B-17 when the hangar in which it was parked was heavily damaged. A short time later, tornadoes ripped through that area but fortunately missed the aircraft at the airport, according to EAA officials.
The B-17’s Story
EAA’s B-17G-VE, serial number 44-85740 — nicknamed Aluminum Overcast — was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on May 18, 1945, too late to see action in World War II.
Purchased as surplus from the military for $750 in 1946, the airplane has flown more than 1 million miles, serving as a cargo hauler, an aerial mapping platform, and in pest control and forest dusting applications.
In 1978 a group of investors bought the B-17 with the intent to return it to its former glory. But just a few years later, in 1983, that group donated the B-17 to EAA.
After a 10-year restoration, the B-17 carries the colors of the 398th Bomb Group of World War II, which flew hundreds of missions over Nazi-held territory during the war. Aluminum Overcast commemorates B-17G #42-102516 which was shot down on its 34th combat mission over Le Manior, France, on Aug. 13, 1944. Veterans of the 398th helped finance the bomber’s restoration, according to EAA officials.
The airplane was on display at the EAA AirVenture Museum until October 1993 when it was moved to the Weeks Flight Research Center for maintenance and restoration in preparation for its first national tour in 1994. Since then, thousands of people have paid to tour the B-17 and take flights in it.
The B-17 will eventually be housed in the EAA AirVenture Museum’s “Eagle Hangar,” which features World War II aircraft and exhibits.