Bare Metal Sally B

Beautiful pics – wish I’d been able to have a snoop around her at DX last year! 🙁

Biggin Hill, Battle of Britain Day, 21 September 1980

Martin

The pic at Finningly is exactly as I remember the Grafton Underwood tribute, I do have a black and white somewhere, no Idea where though – but it was too low by far

There are photos of Sally B doing a low pass at Andrewsfield I’ve seen a few times – hard to miss as she’s apparently flying up the grass. I’d guess it’s about the same height as that Woodbridge photo – too low by far!

Incidentally one of said piccy turned up in Flypast a few months ago, but captioned as somewhere else. Where it was captioned as escapes me now, but I recognised the (near-total absence of?) scenery in the background.

Seems as though there was an outbreak of low flying warbirds back then – just one pilot? Or still the done thing then?

Adrian

French B-17

Is this what you were thinking of!! West Malling, 26/8/85.

Geoff.

Excellent. Great photos! This is exactly what I was hoping to see. 🙂 I really think it looked better then. I was originally going to that show in the Convair 440 then operated here in Norway. Sadly someone within the organization had forgotten to file some paperwork with our CAA/FAA, and the plane stood firmly on the ground that weekend. 😮 🙁 😡

T J Johansen

I seem to remember that sally b was offered a total repaint by one of the 8AF bomber group associations.

Can’t recall which group.They offered full funding.

They were turned down in favour of the current scheme.

Shame.

Are formations like this not allowed any more? I was disappointed at legends that the 2 B17s didnt fly in formation.

Lucky sod!

Is this what you were thinking of!! West Malling, 26/8/85.

Geoff.

Flypast published a picture of Sally B and the IGN fort flying in formation with the BBMF Lancaster,I missed that airshow and still regret it.

Some weeks ago I rediscovered my photos of that flypast, but I’ve misplaced them again…… 😡

It was at the Great Warbirds Display, West Malling, sometime in the mid-late 80’s…??

Flypast published a picture of Sally B and the IGN fort flying in formation with the BBMF Lancaster,I missed that airshow and still regret it.

On the subject of silver B-17s. Does anyone have a photo of the French ex-IGN Fort when at West Malling around 1985? Have searched the net, but haven’t found anything in those colors!

T J Johansen

over a Vulcan that was yet to become famous:-

And yet to have this painted on the nose…………. 😀

Does anyone know why I can see all the other photos, but I can’t see MikeH’s?

I’ve had this a bit lately since I upgarded my security on the PC, but only when certain members post – most photos are fine. So are they posting a different way that my PC doesn’t recognise? I can no longer see photos on ebay or Trademe any more either. It’s very annoying. Does anyone have any clues as to how i can rectify this?

The pic at Finningly is exactly as I remember the Grafton Underwood tribute, I do have a black and white somewhere, no Idea where though – but it was too low by far

At Finningley in 1977, over a Vulcan that was yet to become famous:-

Low level run along the concrete acres of Woodbridge, 1976.

Sally ‘B’ (still as N17TE) at Finningley, September 1975 during her first UK display season….very nearly 30 years ago, an amazing achievement, to keep her running in private hands for so long.
Not wishing to be controversial, but my main memory is the manner in which she was displayed in those days…..at one Finningley show (probably 1975), she was flown up the grass, BETWEEN the runway and the crowd line at an absurdly low altitude, enough to make my teenage toes curl (and which would presumably give the CAA a fit if flown like that now!)

….like this…Don Bullock showing off in front of HRH Prince Charles at White Waltham in May 1977

I seem to recall that there was some mention of Don’s state of mind or health???? in the accident report. I could be wrong though. I watched the Invader at the 1980 May show in Biggin but I don’t recall barrel rolls. Did other pilots fly the Invader as well?

There were TWO shows at Biggin that year, the annual Air Fair in May and a later show in October. It was at the latter that the crash happened.

Them’s the ones. It’s not every day you see the top of a B17 from the flightline…

Yeah….right? :diablo:

There are some lovely photos of ‘Sally B’ in her various guises, including lots in bare metal, in the excellent book ‘Sally B: A Very Special Lady’ by Ken Ellis (Midlands Publications, 1992). I have to agree she looked stunning in the scheme with the yellow tail and wingtips. But then, she always looks great.