Memphis Belle gets a proper home

[pchall]

After decades under a canopy in Memphis, this historic aircraft will finally get to rest with the other eagles and be properly cared for by the staff at the USAFM.

:)

10/5/2004 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force officials announced plans Oct. 4 to relocate the World War II B-17 "Memphis Belle" to the Air Force museum near Dayton, Ohio.

No date has been set, but officials said they expect the move to occur before the end of the year in conjunction with activities planned to observe the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

"We are grateful to the Memphis Belle Memorial Association for its preservation and restoration of the Memphis Belle," said retired Maj. Gen. Charles Metcalf, museum director. "We have enjoyed the partnership over the years and look forward to the continued collaboration as we make this transition." (more...)

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/index.htm

BTW, the 'Memphis Belle' was the first B-17 to take its crew through a 25 mission tour in the worst year of the air war.

[Jervis Tetch 1]

Very cool. My second favorite bomber (after Enola Gay) from WWII.

[4wheeldrifter]

Cool. I work 5 minutes from the museum. I'll have to drop by and check her out at lunch once she gets there.

BTW... Anyone who visits the Dayton, OH area and has any interest in aviation or military really should see the USAFM. It's fantastic.

[TKGAngel]

Cool. I work 5 minutes from the museum. I'll have to drop by and check her out at lunch once she gets there.

BTW... Anyone who visits the Dayton, OH area and has any interest in aviation or military really should see the USAFM. It's fantastic.

I'll second that. I went to the museum on a family vacation several years ago. I was dragged kicking and screaming, but had a blast. Its amazing getting to look at some of the planes up close. I dont know if they are still there now, but when I was there, they had a whole collection of Air Force 1's. It was morbidly interesting to walk through the plane that carried JFK back from Dallas.

[Lizzerd]

I'll second that. I went to the museum on a family vacation several years ago. I was dragged kicking and screaming, but had a blast. Its amazing getting to look at some of the planes up close. I dont know if they are still there now, but when I was there, they had a whole collection of Air Force 1's. It was morbidly interesting to walk through the plane that carried JFK back from Dallas.

Dayton Air Museum is awesome. I haven't been for 10 years or so, but they have a whole bunch of one of a kind prototypes. In the early years of Speed Channel, nee Speedvision, when the theme was "Cars, Motorcycles, Airplanes and Boats", I saw a lot of the planes at Dayton in a program called (I think) Great Planes. Very cool.

And yes several Presidential airplanes, before whichever one he was in had the call sign Air Force One, are there too. There is an annex hangar housing a couple. At least that's where they were last time I was there.

Hmmm... maybe planning a day trip as I type to go back.

[Car-B-Q]

I haven't been there, but I did work on this one (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/annex/an32.htm), this one (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/annex/an45.htm), and
this one (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/annex/an36.htm) while spending most of my AF career at Andrews AFB.