B-17 "Yankee Lady" SOLD OFF
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Much to the dismay of museum goers and Michigan aviation enthusiasts alike, the Michigan Flight Museum formerly known as the Yankee Air Museum until May of this year, announced the sale of its B17 bomber. N3193G known as the “Yankee Lady” was built in 1945 as serial number 44-85829. The news of its sale was sent out to members via email from the museums President and CEO Kevin Walsh who wrote the following:
“For almost four decades, the Museum has been honored and privileged to be the restorer and caretaker for an important, valuable piece of American aviation History: the B-17, Yankee Lady. However, after evaluating the future of the aircraft and its role in our organization, the Board of Directors unanimously has determined the Museum is no longer the best option for continuing as its caretaker.. Furthermore, it was determined by the Board of Directors that now is the time to entrust this beautiful aircraft’s future to another caretaker.
The Yankee Lady has become a significant generator of revenue for the museum, to the extent that we have developed an unrealistic dependency on it. Simply put, interruptions in its revenue stream due to the aircraft’s inability to participate in our flight program have become hardships for the Museum. In other words, we don’t feel the museum can ensure her flying future to the extent we feel is appropriate for an historical artifact of her importance and rarity.
This was a difficult and emotional decision for all concerned, but it was deemed appropriate to ensure the future well-being of the aircraft and museum. The Yankee Lady is headed to a new home and new owner who has the resources to ensure her preservation and flyability for decades to come.”
The aircraft was rumored to have sold for 15 million to a private collector in Sacramento who already has quite the collection of warbirds.
Over the past couple years, the Yankee lady has had quite the string of bad luck. In 2023 the aircraft, as well as the other 8 still flying b17s, was grounded following the cracking of the EAA’s “Aluminum Overcast”. The aircraft was hangared at Yankee’s Roush Aeronautics Center at Willow Run airport while the museum as well as the other operators waited for the FAA to release the AD and instructions for the inspection that would be performed. Thankfully for the Yankee Lady, the inspection found no defects and it would be allowed to return to the air. During the following fall, the hangar door would fail, collapsing onto the ramp. Because of the impending cold of the winter, the opening for the hangar would be walled off with plywood in order to keep the pipes inside from freezing, once again trapping the Yankee Lady inside.
The Michigan Flight Museum is located at the historic Willow Run airport with various building locations on the airfield. Notably the museum takes up a portion of the historic Willow Run bomber plant which used to produce the B-24 in World War II. With the sale of the B17, the museum is down to 4 non static aircraft. These consist of its North American B25 named “Rosie’s Reply”, a Douglas C47 named “Hairless Joe”, a UH-1 Huey helicopter, which all fly to and in airshows and give rides, as well as a a 4-AT-B Ford Tri-Motor that is currently being brought back to an airworthy state.
There is some confusion with the last section of the video. The museum has more that 4 aircraft. Only the 4 non static (flying) aircraft are covered in this video. The museum has plenty of static (non flying) aircraft on display, including Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, Bell AH-1J SeaCobra, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet, McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, North American Aviation F-86D Sabre, North American F-100 Super Sabre, NF-101B VOODOO, Cessna O-2 Skymaster, P2V-7 NEPTUNE, PB4Y-2 PRIVATEER, Franklin PS-2, RB-57A CANBERRA, RF-84F THUNDERFLASH, SBD Dauntless, and SPAD S.XIII
The sad and difficult reality of owning and maintaining these amazing machines. Keeping one flying is a difficult prospect. Perhaps being in private hands will ensure she doesn't just become a hanger queen.
I helped financially when the push was on to save the bomber plant. I paid for a few squar feet of that building to honor my grandfather who was a tool and die maker there during the war. This was hard to hear.
I wish her fair skys and a long life.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
It's really a shame that she was sold. She was a mainstay at the WW2 weekend at the Reading airport in PA. Now, we will probably never have another 17 flying at the show.
Living just a little north-west of Willow Run...she was a regular sight in our skies, all summer long. Her absence hasn't gone unnoticed.
Side notes....
1. I did my instrument rating at Willow. Our hanger was in the same building(right next door) to the one the museum was using at the time. I got a few..."Follow the B-17", taxi instructions.
2. When I worked at the Livingston County airport, I got a free ride on "Lady"..."Warrior" also!
3. One of the "Thunder Over Michigan" airshows, a while back, had 9 B-17's flying (3x 3-ship formations)....AWESOME!!!
No doubt there will be some very very upset Volunteers who worked tirelessly to keep Yankee Lady airworthy , I really hope that the new owners know what they are doing in regard to flying and maintaining Yankee Lady 💃 Thankyou Volunteers you were Brilliant 👍
Yeah, I personally know a few. Lot of them voicing their opinion in the comments below too
As long as someone will take care of the plane and keep it flying for future generations, that is what is important. It seems like the museum thought of that when they sold the plane. I respect the fact that they understood they could not keep it going at the pace it needed to stay airworthy. Glad she will keep flying.
Selling the B-17 is a slap in the face to all the volunteers over the years who put in their time to restore her and keep her flying. Read that again- VOLUNTEERS. You had all that volunteer labor and expertise supporting that plane and you still can't afford to keep her in Michigan? Shame on you. I'm done with the Yankee Air Museum.
No because it’s simply too expensive to operate, maintain an insure. Volunteer support is great, but there are monetary costs that volunteering can’t cover. So you can have all the tantrums you want but it won’t change financial reality. The truth is that theses kinds of organizations need major corporate sponsorship or the support of high net worth individuals
I was a member and donor to the Yankee Air Museum for many years. I have flown in the B-17, B-25, and C-47 aircraft. I even maintained my membership after I left the SE Michigan area in 2016. The permanent change to the Thunder Over Michigan airshow caused me to re-evaluate my membership, and I dropped it soon after. The funds that used to be earmarked for the YAM now go to another institution.
While it's sad to see "Yankee Lady" being sold off, it may be for the best, as it appears that the current museum leadership is not up to the task of maintaining this important artifact.
You said exactly what was on my mind. I only volunteered because of the B-17, and to just sell it off just for "investments" really is a slap to my face. Every day, I'd have people come in and ask about seeing the B-17, so why sell it instead of just making it a fucking static display.
Volunteers have a choice to serve…it’s not their airplane…they chose to work on it without any compensation..if the museum needs the money to keep going and can’t do it any other way, then that’s the museums choice, if the volunteers want to chip in money to keep it at the museum, then let them chip in..if they can’t afford it, then I guess they can relate to the museums problem now can’t they?
They should have just donated it to the National Museum of the United States Air Force I’m sure they’d have loved another G model to put on display since they had to give the Shoo Shoo to the NASM
It's a great loss for the Michigan aviation community. At least, Yankee Lady still has a future though not in Belleville, MI.
That aircraft made the Yankee Air Museum.
I'm pretty much done with the formerly awesome Yankee Air Museum.
I went to thunder over Michigan every year until they started splitting the airshow into morning and afternoon with a price per car which was outrageous for one or two people to come up with and have to pay more to spend the whole day and your supposed to watch the airshow from the parking lot by your car.
I'm not at all impressed with the guy running the place into the ground.
I know the feeling sir, airshows have been ruined or died out in my area too (central CA coast) it's a sad state of affairs... 😒🇺🇸
BOD went woke. No longer is "Yankee" an acceptable term! Go woke, go broke!
@@frankdamato8405 I've gone to every airshow in Chino since 2002 except for this year. I bought a ticket early before they put out the schedule and when I saw it I was so disappointed. They used to put up a LOT of aircraft and this year it was 1/3 aircraft flying and 1/3 human entertainment and 1/3 interviews. So sad compared to all the previous ones.
We stopped going to the Air & Water Show in Chicago when it changed into the air & WATER Show.
I love airplanes and am not interested in watching jetskis and speedboats for 2 hours on a packed beach with no food and 3 filthy porta-potties.
Yea, it was ok the first year, but I was expecting it to go back to normal after the pandemic. The prices have gotten outrageous. They also used to have the ground battle reenactment.
Thank you for this, I tried to book a flight on her this year and they were cagey about what it was “no longer available” then just no flights at all 🤷♂️ oh well I hope she can keep flying although it sounds like it will be a vestige for the rich in a private collection… I will miss seeing her fly over my house in Novi on occasion… hope she lives on for a long time…
You're welcome
How about the US Government help. God knows they waste enough of our money overseas on wars. This historic plane deserves to be preserved, I'm sure most would agree.
And on illegals
Amen but as the old saying goes: Rotsa Ruck.
I contributed to the construction of the new hanger, all the while wondering if the new hanger would lead to the demise of the now "Michigan Flight Museum". The fact that they can no longer afford to keep their star attraction makes me believe that that the MFM will follow other flight museums with their legacy being little more than an abandoned hanger.
I was kind of thinking the same thing. From what I gathered on the video it's a museum with 4 aircraft? If that's it then that's not much of a museum. If that's just their flying aircraft that's a bit different.
@fsj197811 No, you're misunderstanding... "4 non static aircraft" meaning they have 4 aircraft that fly. They have plenty of static (non flying) aircraft. It has all kinds of not airworthy aircraft ranging from a B52, PB4Y, P2V7, EC121, F18, F4 and many more.
@@MTAviationPhotoFilm OK cool. Thanks for the clarification. Still a bummer they lost their star flyer but it sounds like a nice museum and that the old bird went to a good home. Way too far for me to visit though.
@fsj197811 Full list in pinned comment
I contributed to the bomber plant, and the new hangar. The bomber plant would have made the YAM a destination, rather than just another collection of old planes. The story of Willow Run needs to be told, and what better place to tell it then in the building where it happened? Then Walsh shrugged, said they changed their mind, and walked away from how much of their supporters money that went into the bomber plant, $10M?
Meanwhile, when the museum at the former Chanute Field went toes up, other museums swooped in and grabbed the small planes that were in the hanger, in decent condition, and cost relatively little to ship. No-one wanted any of the big planes that had been kept outdoors: they were weather beaten, and would cost a fortune to ship. The YAM jumped in and grabbed the EC-121. iirc, it cost $200,000 to ship it to Willow Run. I questioned Walsh about spending that much on a plane that didn't fit any narrative they were developing, and they had no place to display. He said words to the effect "yeah, but we made brownie points with the Navy"
And when they went to Chanute to look over the EC-121, how did they get there? They could have driven, spent the night in a Motel 6, looked the plane over the next morning, then driven back to metro Detroit. But no. They flew in the B-25. How much did that cost?
Remember, 20 years ago, when they had "Air Display", instead of "Thunder Over Michigan"? It was a great warbird fly-in, and it was affordable. Their air show pricing in recent years has been exorbitant. Battle Creek puts on a great aerobatic show, and parking and admission for myself, combined is about $20. The YAM show costs close to $100. Ridiculous.
I used to enjoy their historical lectures. They were open to the public, only asking a $5 donation, which I gladly paid. Now, their lectures are free for paying members, but everyone else is required to pay $10, and register in advance.
Lately, according to their Facebook page, they have been installing newly overhauled engines in their Privateer. They have no intention of restoring the Privateer to flying condition, so why, the whole world wonders, are they spending money on freshly overhauled engines?
imho, that letter from Walsh explaining why they sold the 17, is 100% doubletalk BS.
When they said they were dropping the bomber plant plans, it was the last straw for me. If they are going to be that greedy, and that wasteful, no more donations from me. No more memberships. No more volunteering at their air show. Fooey!
End rant.
I was there the week they brought her into Willow Run from being a fire bomber out west. Sorry to see her go.
Me to
I'm sure there are plenty of broken hearts in MI about this, but if she IS coming to the Sacramento area I will be thrilled as I live only about 2hrs south of there. Ultimately I wish the "Lady" good luck and all the best wherever her new home is.. 😊👍🇺🇸
Those of us in the Central Valley may get to see it fly over once it in a while. Hopefully 🤞
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
These planes are extremely expensive to maintain in flying condition. Just fueling the tanks is several grand. Parts are getting scarce for the engines too. Insurance isn't cheap either, I don't know what it is today, but back in 2017 it costs half a million on a B-25. I can fully understand selling it to another enthusiast who will keep it flying, especially one who has a collection and readily available spare parts. Back in the 70's that plane was worth a few grand, today 15 million. That will help keep the other planes flying for the museum. I was sad that in 2021 there were NO B-17's on the airfield at OshKosh, only one was flying tours and not out of Oshkosh, only circled the area high up. The Warbird community is shrinking since many of the pilots and owners are either too old or dyeing off. Many of the men and women who know how to maintain and repair these planes have also died off or just got too old to work an them. There are fewer and fewer knowledgeable people today due to how shop classes have been removed and everything is tablets and computers, so finding people to work on them is getting harder. It's a shame since history relies heavily on these old warbirds. There is nothing like standing on the ground as a dozen Merlin engines roar overhead shaking the ground. Nothing like a flight of bombers with their radial engines, and fighters like the p-47 and Corsair shaking everything on a low fly by. This is something that hasn't happened in a LONG time at Oshkosh. The planes are just too expensive and practically priceless today.
True, I am much more a jet guy though and can do without the props, I do appreciate the history and nostalgia they bring though. Must be born in mind that these were purpose built machines not intended or made to fly into eternity. They were mass produced and nearly expendable, and the vast majority were scrapped soon after WW2. No one at the time ever envisioned them still flying 8 decades later, its amazing that there are as many flying as there are. There are many historic aircraft that will never been seen in the air again including F-14, F-4, F-111, SR-71, list goes on and on. So the earlier gen aircraft fly on because they are relatively simple compared to modern jets but still, there shall come a day when none are flying.
When you hear the term "revenue stream", you understand the focus of the museum. Did the Board of Directors grant itself a bonus after its sale? I'm sure that the volunteers who work for the museum would like to know.
Just to clarify to that if this museum a 501C3 non-profit organization then they can not distribute any funds above expenses to members. They can have paid employees but if caught juggling the books so people can skim funds then you get to do FED time!
@@kennethhanks6712something shady is going on for sure
Sad. Poor management. Too many failures.
I thought the name change was a red flag of things to come
A couple of planes left and overpriced to see the air show.It's over
I kind of thought the name change was a red flag of bad things to come for Yankee.
I flew on her in 2010 and her sale to a private owner, really pisses me off.
Seems like a great deal of the "revenue stream" brought in by Yankee Lady would go to the high maintenance requirements of keeping her airworthy. Flying her a few times around the pattern will cost a couple thousand dollars in avgas alone. I just hope the new owner has the wherewithal to properly care for the plane once he's purchased it.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
I believe it will be disassembled and shipped to Avspecs Ltd in NZ first for a complete tear down and nut and bolt resto before heading back to the new owner. I'm picking that'll take 2 maybe 3yrs or so as its being returned to the some condition as it left the factory floor ready for combat. Bomb racks, Norden bomb sight,guns etc. Will not be a cheap exercise but should lay a very good foundation for her to be flying many many more years to come. This just what I've been told guys,if someone has better info I'd be most interested.
So long museum. This is just the start...
Yeah, I thought it was kind of strange they just upped and changed the museum name. Kind of saw that as a red flag to bad things coming. Though they claim the 2 events are unrelated.
A dwindling supply of worthwhile aurcraft.... anyone else remember their B-24 disaster?
No, I remember a B-17 crashed a few years ago. What happened?
Um... no.... tell me
@@randallpickering9944Texas Raiders crashed in a mid air collison
I understand their logic but on an emotional level this stings. Ironically I was scheduled to fly yesterday (6/6/24) on Yankee Lady at the Reading WW2 event. There was no real reason given for the cancellation several weeks ago, but now I know why. I am so disappointed there won’t be another opportunity. Selling her to a private collector basically ensures she’s off the road for good in terms of touring and public rides. I was hoping maybe she was going to CAF. I have been a member of YAM (now MFM) for years and contributed to construction of a new hanger complex, essentially to house the B-17, or at least that was my reason to donate. At this point I will be seriously reevaluating continuing my membership, as my primary reason for support has been the B-17 mission. I don’t live in Michigan, so I’ll be donating elsewhere closer to home.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
The YAM was talking about erecting a new building/hanger 25+ years ago, back when I first became a member. They had various investments at the time. Apparently, the investments never panned out.
Thank you for the information.
You're welcome
In the UK, the RAF do not look after the aircraft tax payers have paid for!
Apart from BBMF which the RAF operate and have done since 1957 😂
@@andrewwaller5913 And UK tax payers fund the RAF therefore funding the BBMF.
I did a documentary on the Yankee Lady during her restoration and it aired on local cable public access channel. Sorry to see her leave the Detroit area.
That is the poorest excuse I have ever heard for selling this beautiful, irreplaceable aeroplane. her sale is for pure greed.
the museums also gone woke
So management says it was the groups main revenue stream ,,, And use that as an excuse for selling it ? I'd have more respect for them if they just said "Hey, we got an offer we couldn't refuse, so we took it". Nothing lasts forever, shame to see it go, Yankee seems like a dying charter, their bilking air show model is unsustainable. I personally stopped paying to attend after 9/11 when they banned coolers and many other things, no way in hell would I pay $150 for half a day without even a premium jet act at the show. The name change was ludicrous, seems like they are making all the moves of a dying organization cashing out.
This year was total crap and I tried to enjoy it, but all I could think the whole time was the value which just wasn’t there for what I just paid. No offense to the F-16 and F18 demo teams but it’s not the blue Angels or Thunderbirds. And it’s not even the F-22 demo team.
At 1:13 the narrator (reading a statement) says: "Simply put, interruptions to it's revenue stream, due to the aircraft's inability to participate in our flight program have become hardships for the museum"....... My question is, why is this aircraft no longer able to participate in the flight program? They've been selling rides on this plane for decades. I had a friend who took his very first plane ride (ever) on this aircraft at an airshow in 2004. What happened? What changed? I haven't been keeping close tabs on this plane so forgive me if the answer is widely known already. Sad to see her go. Hopefully she'll still be viewable by the public and not hidden away in a private hangar. Thank you to the Michigan Flight Museum (formerly Yankee Air Museum) for being such a great caretaker of this airplane while it was in your collection.
I've flown aboard Yankee Lady. Amazing experience.
May be coming to Sacramento. That's just 50 miles from my home. I will plan a drive to see her and quite possibly take a flight on her, too.
You gotta do what you gotta do! Hopefully the new owner will keep her flying safely for all to see.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
It's being sold to California of all places
a magnificent piece of history
here’s to hoping Sacramento is a good choice⁉️🥂
🪖
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
Anyone remember playing Monopoly ? When you start selling off your assets your going down. It's only a matter of time.
The museum is sitting duck.
They could have always donated it to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, I’m sure they’d welcome it with open arms to replace the Shoo Shoo G model they had to give to the NASM
So lots of reasons they wouldn't and shouldn't but the 2 biggest ones being 1. they wanted it to go somewhere that would keep it airworthy and flying and 2. they needed money. So donating it to someone who would put it on static display would do neither of those.
@@MTAviationPhotoFilmexcuses excuses
Tell me the Economy SUCKS without telling me that the Economy SUCKS.
Oh no ! I've flown on her twice when she visited the Reading Air Show in Reading PA ! 😢😢😢
The sad thing about this is that this means Yankee Lady more than likely isnt visiting the Jones Beach Airshow on Long Island anymore. It was my favorite of the WWII warbirds to watch
She didn’t make it to WWII Weekend at Reading either .
Otherwise, she was destined to be relegated to the static display group.
Now, I hope to add "Yankee Lady" to my 'I've flown in' warbirds list sometime in the near future.
The new owner doesn't give rides...
The irony of your B.17 being kept, then sold at "Willow Run" - Main production run of the B.24 Liberator
Neat to see Y.L in the colours & markings of the 381st B.G, the only B.17 group based in Essex (U.K)
I've a 1/48th Boeing B.17-G decal sheet for "The Fox" named after the local Pub at Ridgewell's perimeter
That 1944 / 1945 Pub is now a Private residence in the Village of "Juxta St Clare" in Essex....
50 million? Cha-ching,eh?
15
@@MTAviationPhotoFilmAnd that'll probably slowly disappear into an administrative black hole. That whole organization has been rudderless since the hangar fire in '04.
Ill honestly never go to that woeful museum again.
I kind of thought the name change was a red flag of bad things to come...
@guitarshreder91 Sorry but I am not going to allow comments like that on my channel, if you would like your comments approved please repost it with out the profanity.
So if it is going to Sacramento, Ca then its the same person who bought Rod Lewis's first mosquito. He had really nice polished mustang when i was at McClellan years ago before he started collecting.
Charles Somers has several Mustangs, P-38, P-47 and Mosquito.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
This is a textbook example of why Bob Tullius's P51 is sitting in the RAF museum rather than a US one. Bob offered up his mint airworthy P-51D for free to any reputable museum who would guarantee not to sell or trade it as long as the museum was operating and he didn't get a single taker in the country, so off to the UK it went.
Ruptured duck! I had the pleasure of assisting work on his T6 and flying in some of BobTullius‘s aircraft when he lived in Sebring,FL.
Saw the museum some years ago & was impressed with all that was done. Being an Air Force Vietnam veteran I really enjoyed the Vietnam artifacts. It’s sad to see the b17 go but expenses being what they are, I understand the need to find a benefactor with deep pockets! Good luck & keep up the good work!
Very sad to see YL go. I flew on her last year. I'm hoping either the rumours are incorrect and she'll stay on the east coast, or the new owner will keep her flying, as without her i doubt ther'll be a b-17 on the airshow circuit in ohio
My brother scrimped and saved to surprise me, with a gift card, to fly on Yankee Lady. Very disappointed I won't be able to redeem that gift, in the spirit of it's intent. :/
Does this mean she wont be at Selfridge tomorrow?
It was never scheduled to sooo...
To bad 😢😢😢😮
I know the owner personally, He keeps his aircraft in great condition.
Hopefully it will continue flying with the new owner.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
MJ Sad , I was getting ready to ride on her, buying a ride on Sentimental Journey later this summer.
To much liability. Due to incompetent operators there have been fatalities around these birds.
I have been in that plane several times , got some nice pics from inside.
wow I wish I got to ride it.
Sad and Shameful, to have a historical aircraft like that and then selling it to raise money is just WRONG!
There are two separate stories to one answers.
Every year one of the B-17 and B-24 variants comes through my State for demonstration and ride along flights, they can barely sell enough for fuel. The people who remember these birds are mostly gone or too old to come out to participate and the younger generations have no interest whatsoever.. it’s a dying attraction and this sale just proves that fact.. Instead of hating on the wealthy people whom can afford to own theses birds maybe y’all should be grateful they have any interest at all in a by gone relic when they could just as easily afford a brand new Gulfstream .
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
4 planes left and not one of them? is a B24 that was built there?? Really?
@user-oh7jt4dl1c You are misunderstanding... "4 non static aircraft" meaning 4 that are flying. The museum has plenty of static (non flying) aircraft on display. This video is only covering its airworthy fleet
Full list in pinned comment
When they shut down the production of the B24's at Willow Run they put one on display on a corner of the field.
The local inhabitants set to the "caretaking" of the aircraft & it was eventually scrapped.
There are no Willow Run B24's available for purchase in the world as my understanding.
The Yankee Lady was the cornerstone of the museum. They sold their cornerstone.
This museum scrapped some nice airplanes a few years ago too. I think this museum will eventually close the doors. business 101 whenever a biz wants to make changes to something that's not broken, then it usually ends up in bankruptcy.
Flown on her twice. Once was from Teterboro NJ…..down the Hudson…..around the Statue of Liberty……back up the Hudson passed the World Trade Center…..was amazing.
Maybe in the future they can replace it with a fly able B-24 which is what they’ve wanted all along
With only 2 airworthy and one being restored to airworthy it seems highly unlikely. A trade (possibly with added money) would have been a seemingly much better option if that was the case.
It should've gone to the Commerative Air Force
Or to the National Museum of the United States Air Force
@HankyInTheTanky So lots of reasons they wouldn't and shouldn't but the 2 biggest ones being 1. they wanted it to go somewhere that would keep it airworthy and flying and 2. they needed money. So donating it to someone who would put it on static display would do neither of those.
Aren’t all the B17s grounded because of the spar issues
No, it is covered in the video ( 2:00 ) as well as the link to the full video covering the B17 wing spar inspection.
Keep her flying.....please! Help raise the $$$$$ to keep this beautiful and historic aircraft in the air.
robertcieslak, raise the money for WHAT? The museum has already decided to sell the plane, and the new owner is apparently wealthy and does not need people donating money to him.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
😢
I was supposed to take a ride on Yankee Lady when it came to the airshow in Geneseo NY this July. Then i got notice they were canceling everything this year, and sent me a refund. The disappointment is great.
is this the last Final B-17 Yankee Lady
What?
@@MTAviationPhotoFilm is this the end of Era of the B-17 Yankee Lady or not
@alexanderaltamura8406 in Michigan yes, I don't have hopes for California's way of handling it
Ouch! That hurts, Michigan 😢, especially since so much of our WWII gear was built around Willow Run (and other places in Michigan).
I do hope the new, apparently financially-capable owner keeps this wonderful historical keepsake in the air. There’s still a lot of technical expertise out there on the B-17 aircraft - I live very close to Sentimental Journey’s roost in Mesa, Arizona, and sure the staff and volunteers there will have ideas for resolving any particularly weird issues (sounds like there are some with this aircraft) 🙂.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
They were giving rides out of port clinton last year
Typical of the way Americans think of old people these days...too big...too costly...too expensive for what it is meant to be used for after reaching age of 65yrs. and the young ones get all the attention.
Hopefully, Rod Lewis purchased it and will add it to the Lewis Air Legends!!!
Different person
went for a ride at WW2 weekend it was great !!
I would hope that this important historical airplane is placed in a museum. There are not many of these aircraft left. Every time any of them crashes, there goes an irreplaceable piece of history not to mention the pilots.
Sold to a private collector as stated in the video...
I wonder how and if museum groups are reevaluating their liability after the B-17 in “909”crash in 2019?
909 was horribly maintained and the pilot’s emergency decision making were questionable. Risk and liability are greatly reduced if aircraft maintenance and safety/training is a priority.
@@flyjarrettEXACTLY!
I wager there isnt a single "private owner" in the country who has the resources to keep four radials in tip top condition, let alone the rest of the bird ....we saw all that with 909.
@user-wz2qe2pv6r The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition
Who's to say the private collector wont allow rides. Im sure it will be going to shows
Maybe, TBD, BUT based in CA, unlikely the a/c will tour east of the Mississippi. Today’s economics for such ventures simply don’t favor it.
The new owner (if the rumors are correct) is Charles Somers, who has a collection of warbirds that he maintains in an airworthy condition. I am willing to guess due to insurance and liability issues he does not allow rides. However from what I have read on the internet he does like to show off his collection and lets people check it out as well as allowing his aircraft on temp display at museums.
@@dmfinpaand California can't be trusted
It is too dangerous and costly, seen the news lately????? It is a 80-year old warplane. I would not pay $$$$$ to fly on it.
Flyability isn't even a word...gee, they talk a lot of cr*p....
Unfortunate you display a pic Of a North American B25...while talking about a B24...little details like that can trigger click thru.
Actually, it is a photo of a B25 while talking about how they have a B25 in their current flying fleet. Not to sound rude, but if you have come just to split hairs because a photo was shown a few seconds before what was being talked about, you are missing the point of the content and my videos might not be for you. If you don't like my content, no one is forcing you to watch it...
At least it wasn't destroyed with loss of life in some senseless demonstration accident.
At thunder over Michigan last weekend, I spoke with one of the flight crew of the B-17. I asked about the real reasons that it was sold. He declined to give me any information, but stated that what I was reading wasn’t true in the articles and that the B-17 more than supported herself. Can anyone shed some light on that? Would my crackpot theory that management is extracting too much in wages be possibly not so crackpot? I can’t think of any other reasons to get rid of a cash cow that was actually supporting itself if that’s true (other than looking out for yourself so that you can have your wages paid into the future)
Video games have increased pressure to fly these old war birds for profit. They fly without maintenance or qualified pilots and crews, resulting in tragedy's like Windsor Ct. where 7 lives were lost and virtually nothing was left of the B17 Nine-O-Nine. Nine-0-Nine also belonged to a billionaire private owner. Lets hope it's owner doesn't regard it as a toy of his that can be smashed without much fuss on his part. I wish the government would step in to see they weren't flown unless safe, but billionaire's can have what they want.
Without maintenance or qualified crews? What a load of nonsense. Stick to your video games.
That crash happened due to poor maintenance, and pilot error. I watched the landing several times and saw exactly why it veered off, Full right rudder! The pilot got his left and right mixed up
Wtf does video games have to do with all this???
With the best interest at heart for the aircraft, I understand the extreme difficulty it had to be to give her up and i respect that decision .
How much did it sell for?
Mentioned in the video
15 million rumored
@@MTAviationPhotoFilm Thank You very much!
Pony up some bucks then people…
A lot of the people commenting have volunteered their time or money. So, they already have...
After events like the B-17 crash in Dallas in 2022, it becomes obvious that these old WW-2 airframes, along with their 80 year old electrical and hydraulic control systems, along with engine wear, aging/dwindling qualified pilots, etc., become more of a liability/expense for a private enterprise to maintain, ensuring safety and reliability, especially when the public is concerned.
In contrast to the aging B-52's, which have had their problems, but all of their upgrades, repairs and renovations are blanketed by the USAF's $188.1 billion dollar budget, which includes training new fresh flight personnel.
That crash had nothing to do with the maintenance of the aircraft involved. It happened because of a stupid air boss's poor decision making and inexperience.
Neither accident was due to the age of the B-17. A brand new aircraft can crash.
FYI when these planes are restored, their systems including wiring are replaced with new.
@@andrewwaller5913 Tell that to Philippe Cousteau, son of French explorer Jacques Cousteau, was killed in his WW2 PBY when it fell apart on a water landing.
I thought that was a water crash@@tomt373
I am sorry to see this happen.
Great. A private collection. Adios old girl
Said collector has other warbirds that he maintains in airworthy condition