The Memphis Belle – Nearly There Now!

The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio has just released a short video detailing the final stages in the restoration of their iconic Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, Memphis Belle. They recently reinstalled the control surfaces, the last major components to go back on the aircraft.

The Belle now sits resplendent in her new paint as well, with most of her markings, save the famous nose art, properly recreated. Restoration staff know how minutely their work will be inspected by the public, and have gone to great lengths to ensure that the B-17 is as close as possible to the way she looked in mid-May, 1943, just after the completion of her final mission against the Axis.

It is clear that they have put a lot of thought into the project, and it will doubtless be the crown jewel of their collection at Dayton once she goes on display. As we noted HERE, the museum will be holding a major three day event to unveil the Memphis Belle between May 17th and 19th, coinciding exactly with the 75th anniversaries of the 25th combat missions for her crew and the bomber herself.

Here is a video released by National Museum of the United States Air Force

Richard Mallory Allnutt (Chief Editor)

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Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.

After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.

Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.

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