The Aircraft of MDT: B-17

Welcome to a special installment of The Aircraft of MDT. In this series we are taking a look at some of the aircraft that you may spot flying to and from Harrisburg International Airport.

Aluminum Overcast on her last visit to CXY

This week, HIA’s sister airport, Capital City Airport (CXY), will receive a visit from the B-17 Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast. Aluminum Overcast is a B-17G that has been fully restored and makes an annual tour of the country.

The B-17 was originally developed in 1935 as a contender to replace the US Army Air Corps’s Martin B-10s. Although a crash of the prototype (known as the Model 299) meant that the contract was awarded to the Douglas B-18, the USAAC (soon to become the US Army Air Forces) did end up placing an initial order for thirteen of the Boeing bombers. The B-17 proved itself extremely capable, and by the end of production in 1945, more than 12,700 of the aircraft, across several variants, had been built. The B-17 saw combat across all theaters of World War II.

The B-17 earned its famous nick-name, the "Flying Fortress," when it was rolled out of the hanger prior to its maiden flight; reporter Richard Williams of the Seattle Times remarked on its many mounted machine guns, saying, “Why, it’s a flying fortress!” Boeing subsequently trademarked the name. The Model 299 that made that first flight had seven machine guns, the B-17G, the final production variant, had thirteen and could carry as many as 17,600 lbs of bombs. Of all the bombs dropped by the US on Germany during WWII, nearly 43% were dropped by the Flying Fortress, more than by any other aircraft type.

Aluminum Overcast is one of the nearly 8,700 B-17Gs that were built. The G variant was considered the definitive B-17 and more were built than any other variant. The particular craft that would become Aluminum Overcast, however, never saw combat; it was delivered to the USAAF on May 18, 1945, ten days after VE Day. After being stored as surplus, the aircraft was sold as scrap in 1946. It was resold shortly thereafter and went on to serve as an aerial mapping platform, a cattle hauler, and a pest control and fire-fighting aircraft. In 1978 the aircraft was purchased by a group known as “B-17s Around the World.” They named it Aluminum Overcast in honor of a B-17 that had been shot down over France in 1944. Facing financial difficulties, B-17s Around the World donated Aluminum Overcast to the Experimental Aircraft Association in 1979. The EAA put the aircraft on display until 1983 when it began a ten-year restoration project that refitted Aluminum Overcast with original and replica hardware. The aircraft is now an almost completely authentic recreation, inside and out, of a World War II era B-17, though allowances have been made for modern radio and avionics equipment to meet current airworthiness standards.

Aluminum Overcast

Each year Aluminum Overcast tours the United States and Canada allowing the public to walk through the aircraft on the ground or take half-hour flights. The tour is stopping at Capitol City Airport on August 30 and 31. Self-guided ground tours are available from 2–5 pm on both days. For more details, including information about flights, please visit the Aluminum Overcast website at B17.org.