The Liberty Belle B-17 Bomber made a tech stop this week at the Bangor International Airport. It flew in late Monday night, July 24, 2006 and will be parked in the vast ramp area at the General Aviation Terminal at Bangor Avitat, on Maine Avenue in Bangor, until Sunday, July 30, 2006.
Assistant Airport Director Anthony P. Caruso, Jr. notes: “The Bangor International Airport is very excited and honored to have the opportunity for the Liberty Belle B-17 to stop by for a technical stop. It is an amazing plane with a very interesting background. Anyone who has the opportunity to see this plane will be awestruck.”
The Liberty Belle will be returning to Bangor International Airport on August 10, 2006 as part of a tour commemorating the critical role that Newfoundland and Labrador played as a departure point of the trans-Atlantic crossing of thousands of these aircraft during World War II. Tours will be given during the day at BGR on August 11 & 12. Flights may also be scheduled for August 11 & 12 via their website www.libertyfoundation.org or by calling (918)340-0243. Press kits are available by e-mailing smaher@libertyfoundation.org .
The Liberty Foundation’s B-17 “Liberty Belle” is one of only 14 B-17’s that still fly today. The B-17, dubbed the “Flying Fortress” as a result of her defensive fire power, saw action in every theater of operation during WWII. The majority of all WWII B-17’s were operated by the 8th Air force in Europe and participated in countless missions from bases in England deep into enemy territory. There were 12,732 B-17’s produced between 1935 and 1945, of these 4,735 were lost in combat. Following WWII, the B-17 saw combat in three more wars, B-17’s saw service in Korea, Israel used them in the war of 1948 and they were used during Vietnam.
“Liberty Belle” was built toward the end of the war and never saw any combat. It is painted in the colors and nose art of the original “Liberty Belle” B-17 that flew sixty-two missions with the 390th Bomb Group of the mighty 8th Air force.
The Liberty Foundation’s B-17G has an interesting post war history. Sold as scrap in 1947 to a mining company, in short order it was sold again to Pratt & Whitney for the sum of $2,700.00. Pratt & Whitney operated the B-17 until 1967. It was a heavily modified test bed for their T-34 & T-64 turbo prop engines thus making it a five engine B-17. In 1968, the B-17 was donated to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic society. Unfortunately, in 1979 the B-17 was heavily damaged in a tornado that threw another airplane onto the B-17’s mid-section breaking her back. The wreck was stored until 1987 when it was acquired by an aviation enthusiast in Florida with the intent to restore the aircraft. In 1992, the slow laborious task of restoration began and with the turn of the century, the B-17 was sold again, this time to Don Brooks of the Liberty Foundation. Mr. Brooks, whose father flew B-17’s with the 390th Bomb Group during WWII, founded the Liberty Foundation; a non profit (501C3) museum dedicated to preserving our aviation heritage and funded the complete restoration of the B-17 back to her full wartime configuration as she appears today. He chose to paint the B-17 as the ‘Liberty Belle” as a tribute to his father who was a tail gunner and flew numerous combat missions in the original Liberty Belle, and all the brave aircrew of WWII. The B-17, following a fourteen year restoration took to the skies again after 38 years on December 8th 2004.
The “Liberty Belle” provides the opportunity to take a step back in time and gain respect for the men and women who gave so much to protect our freedoms.
Bangor International Airport is a full-service regional airport offering affordable flights to multiple destinations. The Airport is an enterprise funded entity operated by the City of Bangor and is supported solely through Airport generated revenue.
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