On the evening of May 29, Europe’s only airworthy Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress returned to the skies for its first flight of the year. Known as Sally B and registered as G-BEDF, the aircraft has been in private ownership for more than fifty years and has spent much of that time based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Built in 1945 as a Boeing B-17G-105-VE Flying Fortress, serial number 44-85784, the aircraft arrived too late to see combat service during WWII. It was subsequently converted into a TB-17G trainer and later redesignated as an EB-17G for research and experimental duties. In 1954, the aircraft was sold to France’s Institut Géographique National, where it served as an aerial survey platform.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
In March 1975, businessman and pilot Ted White purchased the aircraft and brought it to the United Kingdom, restoring it to its wartime configuration. He named the bomber Sally B after his partner, Elly Sallingboe, beginning a new chapter in the aircraft’s history as an airshow performer and film star. Over the years, Sally B has appeared in numerous productions, including We’ll Meet Again (1981), in which it portrayed the B-17 Ginger Rogers, and the 1990 feature film Memphis Belle, arguably its most famous screen role. During the production of Memphis Belle, the aircraft was modified to represent an earlier B-17F model and portrayed several aircraft from the 324th Bomb Squadron, including the famous Memphis Belle itself. Since arriving in the UK in 1975, generations of volunteers have helped keep this unique four-engine bomber flying despite the considerable financial and technical challenges involved in operating a historic aircraft of its size and complexity. Following the grounding of the B-17 Pink Lady at La Ferté-Alais, France, in 2010, Sally B became the only airworthy Flying Fortress in Europe. Meanwhile, the number of flying B-17s worldwide has continued to decline.
The aircraft has faced its share of modern challenges. In May 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive grounding all active U.S.-registered B-17s pending inspections of their wing spar attachment fittings and related structure after significant structural issues were discovered on EAA’s B-17G Aluminum Overcast. The UK Civil Aviation Authority subsequently recommended similar inspections for Sally B. Fortunately, no defects were found, and the aircraft continued flying throughout the 2023 display season.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
There is often some confusion surrounding the aircraft’s appearance. Although originally delivered in a natural metal finish, Sally B has worn an olive drab and neutral gray paint scheme since 1984 to help protect the airframe from the United Kingdom’s often damp climate. The aircraft spends much of the autumn and winter months inside Duxford’s Hangar 2 before emerging in late spring and remaining outdoors through the airshow season. To fit inside the hangar, the bomber’s wing tips must be removed, allowing the 103-foot-wingspan aircraft to fit snugly within one of Duxford’s busiest maintenance facilities.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
Today, the aircraft continues to wear the Memphis Belle markings on the starboard side of the fuselage in recognition of its role in portraying the famous bomber. The port side retains the Sally B name. The distinctive yellow-and-black checkerboard cowling on the No. 3 engine serves as a tribute to Ted White, who tragically lost his life in a North American T-6 Texan/Harvard accident while flying an aircraft carrying the same checkerboard pattern.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
The first flight of the year followed the aircraft’s annual maintenance period, during which numerous inspections and servicing tasks were completed. This year, the final hurdle before returning to flight status was the arrival of the No. 2 engine’s propeller. Once the propeller was installed, the engines were run, and after a few minor issues were resolved, Sally B departed on a short evening sortie to the American Military Cemetery at Madingley. The flight served as the aircraft’s annual Memorial Day tribute, which had been postponed due to the delayed propeller delivery.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
The following day, the crew conducted training flights to maintain proficiency on type before flying to Ragley Hall for the Midlands Air Festival, where Sally B made its first public appearance of the 2025 display season. With a busy schedule of airshow appearances planned across the United Kingdom and continental Europe, Sally B is once again ready to inspire audiences while honoring the memory of the more than 79,000 Allied airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice during WWII. The full 2025 flying schedule for Sally B is available at www.sallyb.org.uk.
