“Movie Memphis Belle” to fly Baltimore skies
By Algerina Perna
The “Movie Memphis Belle,” a Boeing B-17 restored WWII bomber, is a living museum that flies around the country offering tours and flights to those interested in taking a trip through history. From August 30-31, the plane will be at Martin State Airport in Baltimore. In 1989, the bomber was hired for filming the English movie, “Memphis Belle,” released in 1990, hence the name, “Movie Memphis Belle.”
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- The “Movie Memphis Belle,” a Boeing B-17 restored WWII bomber, is a living museum that’s flying the Baltimore skies via the Martin State Airport. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The normal range of the B-17 bomber was 1,850 miles, and can be extended with additional fuel. Often called “The Flying Fortress,” the four-engine B-17 bomber with a 10-crew capacity was equipped with 13 machine guns and an 8,000 to17,600-pound bomb load. The public can watch the aircraft fly at no charge this Saturday and Sunday, or take a 1/2 hour flight into history for $450 from10am to 5pm. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The B-17 bomber, nicknamed the “flying fortress,” was the first plane to complete 25 missions with its whole crew intact. The tail gunner operated the two machine guns in the back of the plane. Each swastika represents a German fighter that was shot down by a crew member that manned the gun. These markings are on the original “Memphis Belle.” (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The wing span of the B-17 is 103 feet, 9 inches. The length is 74 feet, 4 inches. The height is 19 feet, 1 inch. This view faces the rear of the plane. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The bomb load of the B-17 was 8,000 lbs. If fitted with external racks, the range could extend to over double the capacity: 17, 600 lbs. Beyond the bomb bay (pictured) is the pilot cabin of the B-17. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- Bob Hill, the pilot from Nashville, TN, far right, briefs the press on the history of the plane before boarding. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- An ammunition clip hangs nearby the machine gun at the side of the plane. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- Crew chief John Eads demonstrates how to fasten the gunner’s belt. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- Members of the original Memphis Belle Crew, 1943, are immortalized in a faded photograph. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The paint scheme used in the movie is the same paint scheme that was on the original Memphis Belle which completed 25 missions in WWII. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The Douglas Aircraft Company -now Boeing- built the plane designed by Boeing Co. The “Movie Memphis Belle,” a Boeing B-17 restored WWII bomber, takes off down the runway. The “Movie Memphis Belle,” a Boeing B-17 restored WWII bomber, is a living museum that’s flying the Baltimore skies via the Martin State Airport this Saturday and Sunday, and is available for tours and rides. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- Pilot Bob Hill from Nashville, TN, left, and co-pilot John Shuttleworth from Huntington, IN, fly the Boeing B-17. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- This is a section of the instrument panel used to fly the “Movie Memphis Belle.” (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- A radio receiver sits on a table just outside the bomb bay. The telegraph key next to it was used to send Morse Code to communications on the ground and to other airplanes in the group. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The side of the aircraft, The Movie Memphis Belle,” has the same designs used on the original plane which fought 25 missions in WWII. Each bomb drawing represents one mission. Each Swastika represents a German fighter that was shot down by a crew member. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- The Norden bombsite, center, located in the bombardier section of the plane, was top secret during WWII. The device allowed bombs to fall with precision. According to Scott Maher, director of operations with The Liberty Foundation, the Norden bombsite was kept in bunkers when the planes were not on mission. The bombsites were issued and returned with every mission. When a plane was shot down, the crew destroyed the bombsite before it fell into enemy hands. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- A gunner sat in the ball turret below the belly of the plane to destroy enemy planes coming up below the plane. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
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- This .50 caliber machine gun protrudes from a window in the bombardier section of the plane. The bomber’s fuel capacity is 2,780 gallons. Empty, the plane weighs 34,000 lbs. In war time, the gross weight was 65,500 lbs. (Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun)
The “Movie Memphis Belle” honors the original “Memphis Belle,” which was the first aircraft to fly 25 missions in Europe and return all crew members home safely during WWII. By the end of the war, the four-engine B-17 bombers, often called the “Flying Fortress” were each equipped with thirteen .50 caliber machine guns and an 8,000 to 17,600-pound bomb load. The bomber held a 10-man crew, weighed 65,000 pounds; and flew almost 300mph at top speed. The original Memphis Belle is under restoration at The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
Built in April 1945, the “Movie Memphis Belle” never flew in battle. The plane has had several private owners since the government sold it in the late 1950’s, says Scott Maher, director of operations with the Liberty Foundation, which leases the plane from the Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation (MARC). It operated as a water bomber in the 1960’s and ’70’s, putting out fires in the northwestern United States.
Maher says the current mission of the Movie Memphis Belle is to, “honor our veterans, preserve our aviation history, and teach current and future generations as to the high price of freedom.”
To reserve a flight or to tour the aircraft, call (918) 340-0243, or go to www.libertyfoundation.org
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