Boeing B-17 vintage-WW2 bombers, in a civilian role in France
Boeing B-17G F-BDRS, deregistered 25Aug1972
from the French Registry, 'Secretariat General A l'Aviation
Civile Et Commerciale / SGACC'.
B-17G F-BDRS 44-83735
Douglas built B-17G delivered on 28May1945. No AAF service, was stored at Syracuse, NY, then to RFC at Altus in OK.
Sold to Transocean Airlines, Oakland, CA, in february 1947 as N68269.
Sold in early 1949 to Col. Andres Soriano of Manila in the Philippines. Soon again sold, in october 1949, to the General Council, Assemblies of God at Springfield, MO.
Sold in July 1951 to Albert Leeward of Fort Wayne, IN, then in 1952 to the French IGN as F-BDRS.
In service until 1972 at Creil Airport in France.
Sold in 1975 to Euroworld at Duxford, UK.
Sold in 1978 to the Imperial War Museum for static display.
The B-17 remains on display at the American Air Museum at Duxford. (See my 2017 DUXFORD IWM REPORT) |
[Part 1 of 3 on this page]
In 1946 the French Institut Géographique National (IGN) was set up to take over from the previous Service
Aérien des Armies, which had been disbanded by the Germans during the occupation years
At the end of WW2, a complete listing of the destroyed areas of France was needed for the Ministère de la Reconstruction.
To achieve this, the IGN received some twin-engine NC701 Martinet (the French post-war version of the German Siebel Si 204). But this aircraft type wasn't up to the task.
That same year, 1946, IGN directors asked S.N.C.A.S.E. (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est) to built a photographic version of their latest design, SE 1000. This was to be the SE 1010.
But delays were soon encountered for all the modifications from the original design. The SE 1010 prototype crashed during a test flight on 01Oct50. And IGN dropped the project.
IGN's policies were revised and it was decided to purchase some surplus B-17s, until at least 1950. The crew compromised a pilot, a flight engineer (also acting as copilot), two photographers and one ground engineer.
On 10 and 12 December 1947 the first two machines were purchased and taken on strength, 44-85643 and 44-85718, at Altus,OK. They were issued French registrations F-BEEA and F-BEEC.
In 1947 these first B-17s were bought for a mere US$15.000, including spare engines; and they hadn't even flown 100 hours!
F-BEEA was officially registered on 05July1948, her owner being the Secrétariat Général à l'Aviation Civile et Commerciale (S.G.A.C.C.). On 24Dec1947 44-83729 was purchased, also in Altus, and was to become F-BEED (16Jun48).
And finally, 20Jan48 44-85733 was purchased and reg'd 16Jun48 as F-BEEB. Alas, on 11Mar49 F-BEEB suffered an accident at Douala in Cameroon. The crew of 5 was killed.
So on 19Dec49 43-39304 was bought as a replacement, to become F-BDAT on 21Apr1950.
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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, F-BGSP (c/n 8246); operated by Institut Geographique National (IGN)
Ex/ USAAF 44-8846, Lockheed-Vega built. Assigned to the 351st Bomb Group and flew 6 missions with the 8th Air Force until 20Apr1945. It did post-war service with aerial mapping units as an RB-17G, until 1954.
Sold to the IGN
in December 1954 as F-BGSP. Briefly registered as ZS-DXM in mid-1960s, then again rereg'd as F-BGSP again.
It continued in survey work until 1985, then transferred to Forteresse Toujours Volante as F-AZDX. Until recent years
still flying as 'Mother & Country/The Pink Lady'.
Until its retirement in 2010, it was the only flying survivor
to have seen action in Europe during World War Two! Her last flight from Melun Villaroche (LFPM), her last base
before retirement, was to Cerny-La Ferté Alais (LFFQ; the airfield of Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis) in March 2010.
As of 29Oct2011 she is inside a new hangar where she will wait some years before flying again. [Wikipedia]
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[Part 2 of 3 on this page]
In 1947, IGN arrived on a disused airfield, north of Paris, not far from Creil, on the territory of the village of Verneuil-en-Halatte.
The site had already been used during WW1 and in WW2 various units were based here, including the famous JG2 'Richthofen' (Wikipedia). Then after the Liberation, the airfield was used as a logistical platform by the US Army Air Force. Douglas C-47s were based here.
On 25Jul50 B-17 44-83757 was bought on the secondhand market. She was registered F-BDRR on 16Sep50. Tragedy struck on 12Dec50, when F-BDAT crashed only a year after her purchase, at Niamey in Niger. Several crewmembers were killed.
After this loss, IGN had a fleet of 4 B-17 deemed airworthy.
In 1952 IGN began expanding the fleet and stock of spare parts. In the United States 130 engines were purchased. On 12Jul52 44-83728 and 44-8889 are bought, becoming respectively F-BGOE on 20Oct52 and F-BGSO on 13Aug54.
On 23Augu50 44-83735 was acquired too, again through the secondhand market. She was reg'd F-BDRS on 30Dec50.
After these new arrivals had been converted for their photographic duties, another batch of B-17s was acquired in 1954.
On 28Sep54, 44-85594 was added and became F-BGSQ (08Oct54). On 31Oct54 B-17 44-85784 was bought, and reg'd F-BGSR on 31Dec54. On 07Dec54 B-17 44-8846 was purchased.
The latter has the distinction of having been bought directly from the U.S. Ministry of Defence, the last one gained from this source. She became F-BGSP.
On 16Apr1955 42-32076 was bought from an American company, while she already had clocked many flying hours. She became F-BGSH, following a lengthy conversion to IGN's needs; dateof registration was 05Mar1956.
French civilian aviation registers show that the maker of this aircraft is 'Briggs', while they were actually only manufacturing the upper turrets!
42-30177 was transferred on 13May55 from the Armée de l'Air to IGN inventory, following an accident in Germany. The Flying Fortress was repaired to enable her to fly to Creil, where she underwent a full conversion to IGN standards; in fact a conversion from F- to the G-model took place.
She was subsequently reg'd as F-GBSG, but IGN apparently had no longer a need for this aircraft and kept it for spare parts...
So this is the peak of the B-17 use with IGN: 12 B-17s altogether of which 11 were in full flying order.
'
Flying Fortress' F-BEEC, in France during the early 1950's she was the most unluckiest B-17 of the IGN service; from 1947 to 1984 she had more then 10 accidents while with IGN..., but she was always repaired.
From 1958 the gradual retirement of the B-17s started, commencing with the first purchases in the USA.
F-BDRR was retired 09Sep58 after 8 years of use. It was prepared for long time storage, her engines and the glass nose removed. On 09Jul59 F-BEED was also stored, after 12 years of service.
F-BGSH was next, on 15Jun1961. And F-BGSH was taken out of business after 5 years.
On 22Aug67 F-BGOE ended her 13 years of flying with IGN; some 7 B-17s remained but finding spare parts became increasingly a problem.
On 25Aug69 F-BGSQ was next to be retired.
Newer aircraft were introduced in service, like 8 Hurel-Dubois HD-34, 3 Aerocommander 680FM, and also a few jets in the 1970s. And a helicopter.
In 1970 F-BGOE succumbed to the scrapman.
On 23Jan72 F-BGSH was donated to the U.S. Air Force.
On 02Feb72 F-BDRS was retired after 20 years of service!
The same year F-BDRR and F-BDSQ were scrapped. By that time only 5 airworthy B-17s remained plus 3 in storage.
On 06Jun73 F-BGSR was retired and in August F-BGSG was scrapped, without even having served in a flying capacity...
That same year F-BEED was scrapped, after her nose was put on F-BGSH.
On 07Jun74 F-BGSO was retired.
In 1975 2 B-17s were sold: F-BGSO on 20Jan and F-BDRS on 24 May. F-BEEC also ended its flying career.
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Boeing B-17 F-BGSQ, with its rudder missing, at Creil (France) in 1970; photo by Ron Mak
Boeing B-17G, F-BGSQ / 44-85594
Vega built B-17G accepted on 29Mar1945. AAF / USAF service as an SB-17G and TB-17G.
Transferred to the IGN on 07Oct1954, and issued the French registration F-BGSQ.
Remained in service until 1972 when scrapped at Creil.
[From the B-17 book 'The Final Cut', by Scott A. Thompson] |
Boeing B-17 F-BEEC at Creil in 1970; photo by Ron Mak
Boeing B-17G, F-BEEC / 44-85718
Vega built B-17G accepted on 08May1945. No AAF service. Stored at Syracuse, NY, until november 1945. Then sent to Altus, OK, for disposal.
Sold as surplus to the IGN in late 1947, reg'd as F-BEEC. IGN service continued through 1984, then sold to British aircraft collector Doug Arnold as G-FORT.
It was subsequently sold to collector Stephen Grey, then again sold in June 1987 to Robert Waltrip of Houston,TX as N900RW.
Transferred to the Lone Star Flight Museum in november 1987; the museum since moving from Galveston,TX.
It was transferred to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1999.
It remains in airworthy condition.
The museum moved to Ellington in 2017. [From the B-17 book 'The Final Cut', by Scott A. Thompson] |
[Part 3 of 3 on this page]
In Oct.80, F-BGSP (44-8846) was in storage at Creil, but she went back into the air in 1984: to fly over the Champs Elysées on the 14th July parade.
On 08Sep(no year) F-BGSO made her last flight, to the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace du Bourget.
On 27Aug79 F-BGSP was also retired, but was maintained to an airworthy condition.
On 10Apr87 F-BEEC was sold, registered in U.K. - but ferried to the United States.
By then IGN has only 2 B-17 in use.
F-BGSP was put back in flying order and made a flypast over the Champs-Elysées for the 14July84 military parade. A 1.500 manhours effort had been required for a 45 seconds flypast over the famous Parisian avenue...
In 1985 'GSP was registered as a vintage aircraft, later becoming F-AZDX. Two years later she was given to Association Forteresse Toujours Volante, which was to keep her airworthy and put her on display.
At the same time, IGN kept F-BEEA, her very first B-17.
In 1989, F-BEEA joined F-AZDX in England, to take part (with another flying B-17) in the making of the Hollywood movie 'Memphis Belle'.
Soon after the start of filming, F-BEEA took off alongside F-AZDX, but suffered from the turbulence of the latter and then made a violent forced-landing at RAF Binbrook. The B-17 burned fiercely on the ground and was totally destroyed; luckily with no loss of life. She amounted some 42 years of flying.
This loss marked the end of the IGN use of the B-17. The B-17 had been purchased as a stopgap measure for a period of 4 or 5 years, but eventually these B-17s were used for 40 years - and despite the growing lack of spares! Since the end of the 1980s the task is carried out by Spot, a satellite...
The above information, on B-17s with IGN, is based on the text on frenchfortresses.canalblog.com
More on IGN: en.wikipedia.org:_Institut_geographique_national
UPDATE: N900RW 'Thunderbird' has been acquired by the Mount Pleasant,TX-based MAFM per 19Dec20!
It is expected to fly to its new home in spring 2021.
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A beautiful line up of B-17s, at Creil Airfield (France), operated by IGN.
About F-BGSO (c/n 8289 ): this Flying Fortress was delivered to USAAF in January 1945 and assigned to 8th
Air Force in England. Sold to the French IGN for aerial mapping in 1954 and finally WFU in 1974 and given to
the
Musée de l'Air
at Le Bourget - where it remains stored in a non-public aerea.
Boeing B-17 F-BGSO at Creil in 1972; photo by Ron Mak
Boeing B-17G, F-BGSO / 44-8889
Vega built B-17G delivered on 27Jan1945. Sent to England and may have been assigned to the 91st BG though service is doubtful.
Post-war service as an RB-17G until 1954.
Sold to the IGN in December 1954, reg'd as F-BGSO. Served until 1976 when turned over to the Musee del 'Air at Paris Le Bourget Airport.
It remains in storage.
[From the B-17 book 'The Final Cut', by Scott A. Thompson] |
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Boeing B-17 F-BEEA at Creil in 1972; photo by Ron Mak
The nose has 'Chateau de Verneuil' written on it. And I suspect
something with '..aériennes' on the fuselage? Which
would be different from the
'Institut Geographique National'-titles seen on it in 1980 (further down).
Boeing B-17G, F-BEEA / 44-85643
Vega built B-17G, accepted on 19Apr1945. No AAF service. Stored at Syracuse, NY, then sent to the RFC at Altus, OK, for disposal.
Sold as one of four new B-17Gs to the IGN in December 1947. French registration of F-BEEA issued.
IGN service through 1989.
It was destroyed in July 1989, at RAF Binbrook during the filming of 'The Memphis Belle'.
[From the B-17 book 'The Final Cut', by Scott A. Thompson] |
B-17G F-BEEA visiting Amsterdam's IAP, Schiphol.
Can't make out the tailnumber on this photo but I'm sure this is F-BEEA (Institut Geographique National-IGN)
A fine air-to-air photo of this Flying Fortress F-BEEA in its civilian role:
F-BEEA, Chateau de Verneuil.
From WarbirdRegistry.org: 'B-17G Flying Fortress, c/n 8552 (-VE), delivered to USAAF as 44-85643;
reg'd as F-BEEA 22jun89, flew as Chateau de Verneuil, used for aerial survey work in Europe, Africa and Papua-
New Guinea; used in movie 'Memphis Belle', june 1989; painted as 'Baby Ruth'; crashed on take-off & burned at
RAF Binbrook (UK) on 25jul89 (no fatalities).
Boeing B-17 F-BEED at Creil in 1972, for spare parts supply; photo by Ron Mak
Boeing B-17G, F-BEED / 44-83729
Douglas built B-17G accepted on 28May1945. No AAF service. Stored at Syracuse, NY, then to RFC at Altus, OK.
Sold by the WAA to the IGN on 24Dec1947, for survey work in France. Assigned the French registration of F-BEED.
It remained in service until 1962 when scrapped at Creil in France.
[From the B-17 book 'The Final Cut', by Scott A. Thompson] |
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Little remains of this Fairchild C-119F N2700 (c/n10689). I don't know in which movie this airframe played a part, if ever, but it must have been quite some time ago. 
The cockpit is in even worse condition.
