- Liberty Belle (B-17)
The Liberty Foundation’s B-17G Liberty Belle is a
B-17 Flying Fortress bomber made near the end of theWorld War II . She has been restored and now tours air shows. [cite web|url=http://www.libertyfoundation.org/history-libertybelle.html|title=What is the Story Behind the Liberty Belle B-17?|work=Liberty Bell B-17 Flying Fortress|accessdate=2008-03-03|publisher=The Liberty Foundation, Inc.]Aircraft History
The B-17 was eventually purchased by aviation enthusiast Don Brooks who formed the [http://www.libertyfoundation.org/ Liberty Foundation] to restore and exhibit the plane as the "Liberty Belle." Restoration of 44-85734 began in 1992 with parts from another damaged B-17 (44-85813). Restoration by Tom Reilly and company/Flying Tigers Museum (aka "Bombertown USA") located at that time at Kissimmee Gateway field Kissimmee, FL. She returned to the air December 8 2004 and has been touring the air show circuit since then. The Liberty Foundation also has a historic overseas tour planned in July of 2008 for the Liberty Belle along the northern ferry route to England. The promotional video can be found on YouTube under Liberty Belle B-17 Overseas Tour.
B-17 Flying Fortress 42-30096
On 9 September 1944 the real Liberty Belle and eleven other B-17s were flying over their target. As the Liberty Belle dropped a 1,000-lb bomb, the bomb was hit by flak. This caused an explosion that damaged the Liberty Belle and destroyed or damaged nine of the twelve B-17s. Six of these fell on the target. One flew on only a single engine all the way back to Paris, adding another "crippled" bomber to the list. The Liberty Belle was the last one to make it back to the airbase.Fact|date=March 2008
References and Footnotes
External links
* [http://www.libertyfoundation.org/ The Liberty Foundation]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1rZ5M2Qty8 Promotional video for the Liberty Belle B-17 Overseas Tour]
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