When 44-8543 left the Lockheed/Vega plant it was modified
into a pathfinder equipped with BTO radar instead of a ball turret. It
started its military career when it was delivered to the USAAF on
January 1944. Although military records are not available, Vega built
-70 block B-17s were consistently sent to combat with the 8th and 15th
Air Forces in Europe and there are repairs on the belly of Chuckie that
could possibly be evidence of repaired combat damage.
When military records became available it shows
Chuckie assigned as a TB-17G to base units at Patterson Field, Ohio with
the Air Technical Services Command. It was given duties with the All Weather
Flying Center, to develop equipment and procedures for all weather flying.
On 09 November 1952, it was modified into a ETB-17G and used by the Federal
Telecommunications Corporation based at Westchester Airport, New York
as a flying electronic test bed modified with large wing-tip antennas and
other electronic test equipment.. It was based at Westchester until 1957
when it was moved to Teterboro Airport, New Jersey until it finished its
military service in 1959.
It served with the USAF until 1959 when it was finally
sold as surplus to American Compressed Steel Corporation for $5,026.00.
American Compressed Steel registered 44-8543 as N3701G and prepared it
for sale on the civil market by installing cargo doors on the right waist.
On 06 February 1961 it was purchased by a Fort Lauderdale company, Albany
Building Company and used for hauling vegetables from Andros Island off
the coast of Florida to Fort Lauderdale. On 15 May 1962 it was sold to
John Gregory of Fort Lauderdale, but its use by this owner is unknown.
On 07 March 1963 it was bought by Dothan Aviation of Dothan Alabama. Under
contract by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Dothan Aviation added tanks
and spray bars for low level attacks against fire ants in Florida and Georgia.
In 1976 when the spraying was discontinued it sat abandoned until 1979.
On 04 October 1979, after twenty years of civilian
duty it was rescued by Dr. William. D. Hospers. Hospers had long wanted
to acquire a B-17 when he found the abandoned fire ant sprayer in reasonable
condition at Dothan. Hospers decivilianized Chuckie and painted it in the
markings of the 486th Bomb Group, the colors it may have actually worn
during combat years before. It is named after his wife Chuckie Hospers
who was instrumental in forming the B-17 CoOp, an organization that brings
together owners of B-17s and pools their resources. Chuckie is now a featured
attraction at air shows today.
