Under restoration by Tom Reilly's Warbird Restoration Museum
in Kissimmee, Florida.
Photo by Jim Sterling
Photo by Bill Slate
When the Army Air Force accepted 44-83525 in Long Beach,
California on 29 March 1945, it was immediately put in storage at Patterson
Field, Ohio. It was surplused on 07 November 1945, but retained by the
military and put in storage in South Plains, Texas the next day. It moved
again on 28 June 1947 to Pyote Field, Texas and assigned to the 2753rd
Aircraft Storage Squadron. On 31 March 1950 it was flown from Pyote to
Olmstead AFB, Pennsylvania and modified to a DB-17G. In July 1950, it was
flown to the Air Force Armament Center at Eglin AFB, Florida assigned to
the 3200th Drone Squadron. It deployed on 28 February 1951 to Eniwetok
Atoll to participate in Operation Greenhouse. It operated during four atomic
tests starting on 07 April 1951 directing QB-17 drones to collect samples
an record test results. 83525 returned to Eglin and was reassigned to the
3205th Drone Group from June 1951 until late 1958. In April 1959 it was
sent with the rest of the DB-17s to Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona and put
in storage indefinitely. 83525 remained in storage at Davis Monthan eventually
informally being put on display.
Meanwhile, the famed precision movie pilot, Paul
Mantz was looking to find another B-17. Mantz had once owned as many as
78 B-17s for use in films in the late 1940s, but later scrapped all of
them but one. In 1961, Paul Mantz merged companies with Frank Tallman to
form Tallmantz Aviation. Tallmantz negotiated with the Air Force to use
B-17G 44-83316 on display at Norton AFB California for a growing number
of movies in the early 1960s. In 1964, Tallmantz sent a crew to evaluate
the air worthyness of the B-17 and found it in excellent shape. A few weeks
later when the Tallmantz people returned, they learned the Air Force had
sold the wings and released the fuselage to 20th Century Fox for a mock
up in the TV series Twelve O'Clock High. The Air Force promised Tallmantz
another B-17, but Paul Mantz was killed in the making of "Flight of
the Phoenix" before the agreement was finalized.
On 15 August 1966, the Air Force leased 44-83525
to Tallmantz Aviation for motion picture use and public display. In July
1967 Tallmantz sent a crew to Davis Monthan to inspect 83525. Although
it had been dormant for eight years they found it to be in good condition
though one engine would have to be replaced. In the fall of 1967 Tallmantz
was hired to provide a B-17 for the movie "1000 Plane Raid". The
need to ready their plane for flight was greater now. After overcoming
difficulties during ground runs, 83525 took to the air again on 12 January
1968. The bomber was flown to Orange County Airport, California for minor
repairs and application of a wartime paint scheme. When all the paperwork
was completed it was flown to Santa Maria, California for two weeks of
filming on location, then returning to Orange County. Because poor earnings
for war epics of the time and the growing anti war sentiment of the time
83525 did not see very much action except an occasional display flight.
On one such flight a turbocharger exhaust duct cracked resulting in an
internal wing fire and extensive damage to the wing, leaving the plane
indefinitely grounded. Frank Tallman made and elaborate trade with the
Air Force and acquired the title for the B-17 on 19 April 1972. Tallman
accepted an offer of $30,000 for the B-17 from Junior Burchinal, the operator
of the Flying Tiger Air Museum in Paris, Texas. Tallmantz mechanics made
the bomber air worthy again and Tallman sold the plane to Burchinal on
25 October 1972.
Burchinal did not make much use of the bomber for
flight training as he had planed, but it did make a small appearance in
the movie "McArthur". It was repainted as Suzy-Q and flown to Florida
and then Ely, Arizona in attempts to put it in various museums. Burchinal
had plans to strip the tattered movie studio paint jobs off and polish
out the skin when problems with the law landed him in jail. Burchinal was
convicted of charges related to the sale of aircraft to drug smugglers.
While in prison he sold 83525 to Kermit Weeks on 11 April 1983. Weeks attempted
to move the B-17 to Florida in May 1985, but a #2 engine failure caused
him to abort the flight. This led Weeks to overhaul all four engines before
another attempt. In May 1987, Weeks returned with four fresh engines, and
after weeks of fight preparation he ferried the plane to his Museum in
Miami, Florida. Kermit Weeks had plans to completely restore the
B-17 back to a proud museum piece when disaster struck.
The Weeks Museum in Miami, Florida was destroyed
on 24th August 1992 by Hurricane Andrew. With less than 24 hours warning
the staff moved as many aircraft into the museum as possible and lashed
down the largest aircraft that had to remain outside. Flyable aircraft
were hurriedly shuttled to other, safer airfields, however a lack of qualified
pilots prevented many air worthy aircraft from being flown to safety. The
museum building was destroyed and many aircraft inside were badly damaged
as the roof fell in on top of them. 44-83525, left outside but tied
down to the tarmac in eight places, was picked up and thrown for 2 km.
It suffered severe damage, and was hit by another aircraft which had also
blown out of the museum. After the destruction by nature, looters broke
in and stole many valuable parts from the B-17. They tried to steal
the propellers, and they stole doors, hatches and other irreplaceable items.
It is now under a slow restoration to static
display at Tom Reilly's Warbird Restoration Museum in Kissimmee, Florida.
