Hi all, here the press release of this last flight

B-17 « The Pink Lady » – Association « Forteresse Toujours Volante »

March 19th, 2010
Today, at 14:42, the Pink Lady has landed on La Ferté Alais.

On December 1944, the Boeing B-17G left the factory LOCKHEED in Burbank (California) and was delivered to the USAAF (US ARMY AIR FORCE) on January 13th, 1945 under the serial number : 44-8846.

After receiving a certain number of arrangements, the aircraft crossed the United States and the Atlantic Ocean to join the 351° BOMB GROUP in England on March 26th, 1945.

Today, it wears the “DS” marks of the 511° Bomb Squadron based on Polebrook in which it was allocated and in which it did 6 war missions during April 1945 :
• April 8th, marshalling yard of Halberstadt (Germany)
• April 9th, Fürstenfeldbrück airfield (Munich suburbs)
• April 14th, near of Royan on a fort possessed by the German (France)
• April 16th, marshalling yard of Regensbürg (Germany)
• April 18th, marshalling yard of Traünsten on the verge of Austria (Germany)
• April 20th, marshalling yard of Brandenbürg near of Berlin(Germany)

Brought back to the USA, then striked off the USAAF register on April 1954, it was bought by the IGN (National Geographic Institute of France) and the following month, repatriated to France. It got F-BGSP immatriculation in France. During 30 years, the B-17 did aerial photographs through the world and some movies (« La Bande à César » or « La Grande Vadrouille »). On the request of François Miterrand (the French president at that time), the B-17 did a flypast of the Champs Elysées in Paris on July 14th, 1984.

Jean Salis financed the aquisition of a B-17 and at his initiative the « Forteresse Toujours Volante » association was created, in 1985, which had for aims to : buy a Fortress, show it by flying it and to preserve it on la Ferté Alais airfield.

In 1987, the B-17 is registered in France in the Collection Aircraft registery and became F-AZDX within the association which had initially decided to fly it during 5 years only. At this time, the aircraft had 9532 hours of flight and 1500 landings.

25 years later, the B-17 has 10580 hours of flight, a thousand more done during airshows, commemorations and movies like « Memphis Belle » in 1989 or « Red Tails » in 2009. It also has over 2500 landings !

It was for « Memphis Belle » movie that the B-17G was turned into a B-17F. On each side of the airframe a different name was painted : « The Pink Lady » on one side and « Mother Country » on the other side. At the end of the movie, it was decided to keep the B-17 under the name of The Pink Lady.

Among the 12,371 B-17 built, the Pink Lady is the only one still flying which has accomplished missions during the Second World War.

Today, after 25 years of flight and thank to the quality of the team who has surrounded the Fortress, the B-17 has just landed on La Ferté Alais with the same persons on board (pilots, engineers, mechanics) than at his beginning and just as it was planned in 1985 !
The team has made the choice to start the overhaul the aircraft needs (estimated to more than 3 years of work for minimum two persons in appropriated workshop). So, she has decided to respect the association initial aim : bringing it back to La Ferté Alais airfield. En 1993, a hangar was built on the airfield for the Fortress, unfortunately, it is today full of aircrafts. Also, with the support of our village of Cerny and our grouping of local authorities, it has been decided to build a new hangar, called “1939/1945 memorial”, which will complete the redeployement project of the “Jean Salis museum” : turning 6,000sqm into a 10,000sqm museum. The Fortress will be one the centerpieces of the new museum and will be visible of the visitors whereas it wasn’t hitherto.

Our future ambition for the Pink Lady is to preserve it in really good confitions to evidently make her fly again in the future. But above all, to protect her so that she will commemorate by a historical flight the Centenary of the end of the Second World War.
The process to classify the Fortress as a listed Historic Monument in French Heritage has started.
We are now looking for sponsoring and donations to protect and restore it at best.

Jean Salis
President of Forteresse Toujours Volante
[email]info@forteresse-toujours-volante.com[/email]