In 2012 Keymodelworld’s CHRIS CLIFFORD flew in the Collings Foundation’s B-17G Nine O Nine. Sadly the aircraft crashed in 2019 with loss of life, so in tribute, he presents 30 walk-round photos of the machine.
Above: This aerial view, with the famous Seven Mile Bridge in the background, shows the layout of the HF antenna cables.
My trip in the magnificent B-17G Nine O Nine came purely by chance, while I was on holiday. As my wife and I drove down the highway through Marathon, in the Florida Keys, the aircraft flew in front of us to enter the circuit at the local airport. It must have been kismet, because just an hour later I read in the newspaper that the Collings Foundation was in town, offering pleasure flights in its B-17G, B-24 and P-51. This was a chance not to be missed; I live on the Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire border in the UK… close to World War Two’s ‘Bomber Country’, with its many bases then hosting B-17s and B-24s. The subject is ingrained in my aviation and modelling interests, and both types fill my build list. Phone call made, ticket booked.
Above: The Collings Foundation’s 'Nine O Nine', a B-17G-85-DL, as seen on February 7, 2012, at Marathon in the Florida Keys. ALL PHOTOS CHRIS CLIFFORD
The flight itself left …
