B-17G 44-83514 Commemorative Air Force, Arizona
Wing, Mesa, Arizona. Flies as 483514, Sentimental Journey.
Photo by Brian Nick
Photo by CAF Arizona Wing
44-83514 left the Douglas, Long Beach production
line on or about 24 March 1945. It was most likely sent to the Douglas
modification center in Tulsa, Oklahoma thereafter. Most Douglas built Fortresses
in this production block were flown to Patterson Field, Ohio when completed
at the modification center for short term storage. Sentimental Journey
started its career in the Pacific Theater of Operation. Around 1949 it
was modified to a DB-17G at Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania and transferred
to Eglin Field, Florida. Available military records start in 1956. In 1956,
44-83514 was again modified at Olmstead AFB to a DB-17P and assigned to
the 3215th Drone Squadron at Patrick AFB, Florida. It remained at Patrick
for the remainder of its military service until 1959 when it was put in
storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona.
Sentimental Journey remained in storage for only
a few months. Acme Aircraft Parts bought the plane at an auction on 31
July 1959 for $5289.99. It was then sold to Western Air Industries for
$8000.00 on 17 November 1960. It was flown to Anderson, California and
modified with two 1000 gallon retardant tanks and marked as Tanker 17.
Western Air Industries became Aero Union in 1960 and moved to Chino, California.
Aero Union replaced its clear nose piece with a fiberglass cone in January
1965 as it did with all its B-17s. In 1977 when parts started getting scarce
Aero Union started selling off its fleet of B-17s. An exhibition trip was
made to the Confederate Air Force's Airsho77 in Harlington Texas to find
a buyer for the old bomber. The Plexiglas nose and bomb bay doors were
reinstalled and a military scheme was painted over the tanker markings.
Several weeks later the newly formed Arizona Wing of the Confederate
Air Force purchased N9323Z. Over the years the former tanker was
restored into the Sentimental Journey that we know today, flying at numerous
air shows around the country. It remains one of the finest examples of
a wartime B-17G.
