FLYING MEMORIAL 'SALLY B' B-17 FLYING FORTRESS TRIBUTE DISPLAY • EAST KIRKBY, LINCOLNSHIRE AHC

A wonderful B-17G Flying Fortress "Sally B" displaying at the Lanc, Tank and Military Machines at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby.

'Sally B' is the last remaining airworthy B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe. She is a regal at most airshows and her home is the Imperial War Museum Duxford. Although permanently based at the IWM, she is not part of the museum's collection, but privately owned. Sally B is maintained by Chief Engineer Peter Brown and his team of volunteers, and flown by volunteer experienced professional pilots. She is a flying memorial to the 79,000 airman who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Sally B is not only a flying memorial taking part in flypasts and displays, but she has played in major parts in movies such as Memphis Belle, Black Book, Noah's and varies TV shows such as It Ain't Half Hot Mum.

Built as a Boeing B-17G-105-VE c/n 8693, the future Sally B was one of the last to be constructed by the Lockheed-Vega plant at Burbank, California. Accepted by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) as 44-85784 on June 19 1945 it was too late to see war service, and was flown to Nashville for modifications. Converted for training purposes and re-designated TB-17G, it was based at Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson AFB), Ohio from November that year.

Businessman and pilot, Ted White brought F-BGSR to Britain via Biggin Hill to the Imperial War Museum Duxford, as N17TE, in March 1975, to begin a new life as Sally B, named after Ted’s long-time companion Elly Sallingboe. Sally B made her debut at the 1975 Biggin Hill Air Fair, flying as the USAAF World War Two Memorial Flight. The struggle to operate Sally B successfully in this important role had begun.

In order to operate the aircraft successfully, an engineering support group was set up and many volunteered their help to work on the aircraft. A permanent operating base was set up at Duxford, which, at that time, was an up and coming centre for aircraft preservation operated by the Imperial War Museum. Kept in flying condition by volunteers from the newly formed Duxford Aviation Society, the Fortress was painted in the 457th Bomb Group, USAAF 8th Air Force, based at Glatton during the Second World War, but retaining her original serial number 485784.

Sally B continued to be flown at displays as a memorial to the 79,000 US airmen who died fighting in the skies over Europe between 1942 and 1945. In October 1979, a distinguished audience assembled at Duxford to see Colonel John Vanden Heuvel DSC unveil a plaque fitted in Sally B’s radio room, dedicated to the fallen airmen, thus putting an official seal of approval upon the aircraft’s role as a flying memorial. No silent, cold memorial this, but a living tribute to the dead, borne aloft with the thunder or engines into the sky that they knew and loved and in which they fought and died.

In 1980, Ted White and Elly Sallingboe formed the Sally B Supporters Club, in order to raise much needed funds, and in response to the huge interest and support which was shown for the aircraft at her display appearances. The Club has, over the years, produced a loyal and hardworking band of supporters, which has become the life-blood of the operation.

SPECS
Powerplant: Four Wright R-18200-97 Cyclone radial engines, each producing 1,200 hp at 15,000 ft.
Performance: Max speed 287 mph at 25,000 ft.
Cruising speed: 150 mph at 5,000 ft.
Climb: 20,000 ft in 37 minutes.
Service ceiling: 35,600 ft.
Range: 2,000 miles with 6,000 lbs of bombs.
Weights: Empty - 36,135 lb. Gross - 65,500 lb.
Wing span: 103 ft 9 in.
Length: 74 ft 4 in.
Height: 19 ft 2 in.

For more info on Sally B, please visit
https://www.sallyb.org.uk/index.htm
Donate to keep Sally B flying
https://www.sallyb.org.uk/appeal.htm#...

Special thank you to South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum for letting us use the Land Rover
https://www.southyorkshireaircraftmus...

#sallyb #b17 #memphisbelle #b17g #memorial #usaaf #usaf #americanhistory #americanheritage #heritage #duxford #eastkirkby #b17bomber #displays #ww2aircraft #bomberaircraft #tedconingsby #love #life #trending #airshows

Official Ted Coningsby Merchandise
https://tedconingsby.co.uk/shop/
noTEDS
https://tedconingsby.co.uk/noteds/
Ted Social stuff
Instagram
  / ted_coningsby  
Facebook
  / tedconingsbyuk  
X
  / tedconingsby  
www.tedconingsby.co.uk

Ted Coningsby Membership:
Join our channel to get access to members only perks. In reality, we rely on your subscriptions to keep our channel growing, so this is a MASSIVE help and thank you to ALL of you who have subscribed. We go all over the country to get the footage we need for you to enjoy but this comes at a cost. Your membership will help fund us with the fuel and the equipment we need...
   / tedconingsby