When was the b 17 bomber made

The flight engineer was the only enlisted man, or non-commissioned officer, in the cockpit. During takeoff, they all sat in the radio room behind the bomb bay—the strongest part of the aircraft where the wings intersect with the fuselage.

While the plane was circling into formation which could take as long as 45 minutes the crew members would move into their positions. Two waist gunners would move back into the fuselage, manning guns pointing out of each side of the aircraft. The tail gunner would climb to the back of the plane where he sat on a banana seat and knelt with a gun sight in front of him.

The ball turret gunner took his seat in a tight-fitting, rotating globe in the belly of the bomber. He sat in the confined space of the ball turret for up to 8 hours for each mission. Want to step inside the cockpit of our B? Take a virtual tour! Search Toggle Search Toggle search box. A Short History of the B Production History Over the next six years, Boeing received enough small orders that kept the production line going. The government ordered production of 13 of these aircraft, now designated the Y1B Delivery of these first production models was between January 11 and August 4, The B received the name Flying Fortress from a Seattle reporter who commented on its defensive firepower.

The B underwent a number of improvements over its year production span. Models ranged from the YB to the BG model. Throughout the war, the B was refined and improved as battle experience showed the Boeing designers where improvements could be made. The final B production model, the BG, was produced in larger quantities 8, than any previous model and is considered the definitive Flying Fortress.

With its In addition, air crews liked the B for its ability to withstand heavy combat damage and still return its crew safely home. Between and May , 12, Bs were produced. Of these aircraft, 4, were lost during combat missions.

At one time, more than 1, Bs could be assembled for mass combat missions. Today, fewer than B airframes exist and fewer still are in airworthy condition. Army Air Corps on May 18, Although delivered too late to see action in World War II, the airplane has an interesting history.

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