Yankee Lady ( B - 17 ) The B - 17 Yankee Lady is owned by the Yankee Air Force , doing business as the Yankee Air Museum ( YAM ) , and is flown for flight experience rides and airshow appearances . Provenance . Yankee Lady is a B - 17G – 110 – VE , bearing USAAF serial number 44 - 85829 . The airplane was built by the Vega Division of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation at Burbank , California and was delivered to the USAAF on July 16 , 1945 . It went to Dallas , Texas for modifications and in September 1945 was placed in storage at South Plains Field , Texas along with other brand new B - 17s . The YAM is certain that this aircraft did not fly combat missions during World War II . In 1946 the aircraft was one of 16 “ Flying Fortresses ” that were transferred to the U . S . Coast Guard . These aircraft were re - designated PB - 1Gs , “ P ” signifying patrol , “ B ” denoting designed by Boeing , “ 1 ” for the first model of the type and “ G ” for Coast Guard . This particular aircraft then became PB - 1G serial number 77255 . All of the guns and turrets were removed , and a radar dome was installed in the position formerly occupied by the chin turret . It was used for air - sea rescue and iceberg patrol duties out of Argentina , Newfoundland , Elizabeth North Carolina and San Francisco , California . At one time it carried an air droppable , 27 foot long 3300 pound wooden lifeboat under the fuselage for rescuing people stranded at sea . This aircraft was retired from the U . S . Coast Guard in 1958 . On May 11 , 1959 , the airplane was sold to Ace Smelting , Inc . for $ 5997 . 93 . It was assigned the civil registration N3193G . In November 1959 Fairchild Aerial Survey Company purchased the aircraft and used it for aerial survey work . In 1966 the plane was sold to Aircraft Specialties , Inc . of Mesa , Arizona . This company used numerous B - 17s as air tankers to fight forest fires and apply pesticides on crops and trees . During 1969 the aircraft was one of five B - 17s flown to Hawaii and used in the filming of the movie “ Tora , Tora , Tora . ” In 1985 the airplane was among four other B - 17s that were put up for sale at an auction held by Globe Air , the successor company to Aircraft Specialties . The airplane remained unsold until the Yankee Air Force purchased it for $ 250 , 000 in June 1986 . After several test hops , the aircraft was flown from Mesa , Arizona to Willow Run Airport , Ypsilanti , Michigan on July 2 , 1986 . It was not to fly again for nine years . The Rebuild History . A comprehensive inspection and repair / rebuild program was initiated almost immediately after the B - 17 arrived at the YAM . The primary goal was to return the aircraft to safe flying condition , with the secondary objective of reinstall as much authentic combat equipment as was obtainable and practical . Upon close examination , it was found that the plane was quite literally only a shadow of a World War II combat configured B - 17 . All turrets and guns were missing . Floors had been lowered and bulkheads removed during its long and varied post war career . A large cargo door had been installed in the left side of the fuselage , and the Cheyenne tail turret replaced with one that looked like it was made by cave men with stone tools ! The vertical and horizontal tail surfaces were removed in order to repair areas of corrosion . All control surfaces were recovered using modern fabric , and the control cables inspected and replaced as necessary . The floor in the radio room raised to its original position and authentic radios installed along with a table for the radio operator . The two 1000 gallon fire retardant tanks were removed , and the bomb bay doors re - installed along with the equipment required to be able to open and close them in flight . Bomb racks were built from scratch . The roof above the bomb bay was removed to repair the structure that had been modified when the chemical tanks were fitted . The outer wing panels were removed to allow replacement of the aileron attachment channels , which were corroded . The long - range Tokyo auxiliary fuel tanks were removed . All four Wright R - 1820 - 97 nine cylinder turbocharged radial engines were dismounted and the two outboards overhauled at a cost of over $ 25 , 000 a piece . Every hose and electrical wire in the airplane has been replaced . A Sperry ball turret and a Bendix chin turret were acquired , renovated and re - installed in the aircraft . A top turret dome has been fitted along with cheek guns in the nose compartment . A replacement Cheyenne tail turret was obtained and restored to its World War II configuration . The aircraft has been painted in the markings of a typical B - 17G assigned to the 8th Air Force 381st Bomb Squadron flying out of Ridgewell , England . This color scheme is a memorial to the late Joseph Slavik who flew 35 missions as a pilot with the 381st . Mr . Slavik and his brother Stephen made a significant financial contribution to the Yankee Air Force that helped purchase the plane . The “ Yankee Lady ” name and nose art do not replicate that of a known combat veteran B - 17 , but rather are meant to be representative of the era . The restoration work and much , much more were accomplished almost entirely by dedicated Yankee Air Force volunteers who generously donated time , talents and financial resources to what has truly been a labor of love . The first post restoration flight took place on July 13 , 1995 . Yankee Lady offers flight experience rides from the middle of May through September for the crew of 3 and an additional 12 people . Proceeds help support the Yankee Lady and the Yankee Air Museum . Bibliography . YAM handout for flight experience .