The Boeing B-17G "Flying Fortress" DESIGNED BY: Boeing Company, Seattle, Washington BUILT UNDER LICENSE BY: Vega Aircraft Company (now Lockheed) MODEL: B-17G Flying Fortress ARMY AIR CORPS SERIAL NUMBER: #44-85740 DELIVERY DATE: May 18, 1945 REQUIRED CREW: Ten—Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator, Bombardier, Flight Engineer (top turret gunner), Radio Operator, 2 Waist Gunners, Tail Gunner and Ball Turret Gunner POWER: The B-17G is powered by four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone Model R-1820-97 engines. These engines are nine cylinder, radial, air-cooled type with a 16:9 gear ratio. The propellers are three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers, 11 feet, 7 inches in diameter. WEIGHTS: Basic Empty Weight 34,000 lbs. Gross Weight (Wartime) 65,500 lbs. FUEL CAPACITY: 1,700 gallons RANGE: 1,850 miles. Range could be extended when equipped with “Tokyo Tanks” which provided a total capacity of 3,630 gallons. WING SPAN: 103 feet, 9 inches LENGTH: 74 feet, 4 inches HEIGHT: 19 feet, 1 inch SERVICE CEILING: 35,600 feet ARMAMENT: Thirteen Browning M-2 .50 caliber machine guns. Fire rate approximately 13 rounds per second. No gun on a B-17 carried more than one minute’s supply of ammunition. BOMB LOAD: Depending on types of bombs, maximum normal load could go to 8,000 lbs. If B-17 was fitted with special external racks, maximum normal short-range bomb load could go as high as 17,600 lbs. NUMBER BUILT: 12,732. Production peaked at 16 airplanes a day in April 1944. Today there are about a dozen B-17’s still flying. SPEEDS: Maximum 300 mph. at 30,000 ft. Maximum continuous 263 mph. at 25,000 ft. Cruising speed 170 mph. Landing 74 mph. Rate of Climb 37 minutes to 20,000 ft. COLORS: 398th Bomb Group To read more go to www.b17.org