Texas Raiders The Commemorative Air Force ’ s Gulf Coast Wing " Texas Raiders " group maintains and flies the former PB - 1W / B - 17 G Flying Fortress named " Texas Raiders " . She is hangared at Tomball Jet Center which is located at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport ( KDWH ) in Tomball , Texas . History of the B - 17 . Over 75 years ago , the Boeing Airplane Company designed the B - 17 for a contract that called for 200 of the aircraft , and by the end of production , Boeing had built a total of 6 , 981 B - 17s . The Douglas Aircraft Company and the Vega Aircraft Corporation ( a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company ) together built another 5 , 745 B - 17 s under license from Boeing . About 50 assorted B - 17 variants survive today , most being on static display at museums or on air force base air park displays . Of those numbers , only about 10 are flyable at any given time . “ Texas Raiders ” was built in 1944 by the Douglas Aircraft Company at their Long Beach , California plant . Both the Boeing and the Lockheed Vega companies had already closed their production lines by this time . She was one of the last 20 B - 17s built by Douglas , which makes her the youngest of the B - 17s currently flying . Built under contract number AC - 1862 , she was one of the last 20 B - 17s built by Douglas and was delivered on July 12 , 1945 to the U . S . Army Air Corps as B - 17G - 95 - DL 44 - 83872 . Her fuselage number was 2987 , and factory number was 32513 . Victory in Europe Day ( VE Day ) had past , and the USAAC did not have a need for more of the heavy bombers , so on July 21 of 1945 , all 20 of these Douglas B - 17 s were transferred to the U . S . Navy to serve as PB - 1W Patrol Bombers . B - 17G # 44 - 83872 was assigned the U . S . Navy Bureau of Aeronautics Number ( BuNo ) 77235 . Airborne Early Warning Electronics Development . Project Cadillac . “ Project Cadillac ” , an inter - service committee , based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ’ s ( MIT ) Lincoln Laboratory or “ Rad Lab ” , worked closely with the Naval Research Laboratory at NAS Anacostia in Washington , D . C . Together , they demonstrated the ability to place RADAR in an aircraft , and send the video image via the then state of the art technology , a FM TV data link to the navy surface fleet ’ s Combat Information Center ( CIC ) for assessment and reaction . The test bed for the project was a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber , modified with a belly - mounted RADAR housing , and redesignated the TBM - 3W . The Grumman AF - 2W Guardian would later replace the Avengers in the fleet . The idea was a success , but the RADAR aircraft could not venture far from the fleet without disrupting the TV signal . The fleet needed farther reaching capabilities to have the early warning of intruders that was envisioned . Due to the TV signal ’ s range issues , it was determined that command and control needed to be aloft with the airborne sensors , letting the data be interpreted and then relayed via long range radio . Project Cadillac II . “ Project Cadillac II ” was tasked with combining long range scouting and patrol , airborne enemy threat detection , electronic countermeasures , anti - submarine warfare , and hurricane hunter capabilities into a single aircraft . Instead of sending the intelligence to a ship ’ s CIC , the aircraft would have its own CIC on board , making it a flying command center . The Navy had developed the first AWACS aircraft . The PB - 1W is Born . The Navy decided to use the B - 17 to modify into the PB - 1W for use as the original Airborne Warning and Control System ( AWACS ) aircraft . First delivered to Patrol Bomber Squadron 101 ( VPB - 101 ) in the spring of 1946 , the Navy was to eventually have a total of twenty two out of thirty one Navy owned B - 17 s in their inventory fully upgraded to PB - 1W s . Late in 1946 , VPB - 101 would move to NAS Quonset Point , Rhode Island , and be redesignated Airborne Early Warning Development Squadron Four ( VX - 4 ) . The Naval Air Material Center ’ s Naval Aircraft Modification Unit ( NAMU ) at Johnsville , Pennsylvania modified the B - 17 s to PB - 1W specification by sealing up the bomb bay doors and installing 300 gallon drop tanks on each wing , in addition to the “ Tokyo Tanks ” mounted in the outer wings to give her longer range and loiter times on station . The 3 , 400 gallons of fuel gave the PB - 1W the endurance of 22 + hours of flight time . She was not immediately painted , but was waxed to prevent corrosion . Later in her career , she would have her armor and guns removed , and also be painted gloss Navy blue . The one - megawatt AN / APS - 20 Seasearch S - band Radio Detection and Ranging ( RADAR ) manufactured by Hazeltine / General Electric , was then ventral - mounted in a bulbous housing below what used to be the bomb bay . The RADAR relay transmitter , an advanced version of Identification , Friend or Foe ( IFF ) , Radio direction finder ( RDF ) , instrument landing system ( ILS ) , and long range navigation ( LORAN ) was also installed at that time . In the nose of the PB - 1W , the chin turret and Carl L . Norden Company bomb sight were removed , while the auto pilot remained . The Bombardier ’ s station itself remained for a look out post while on anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) or airborne search and rescue ( SAR ) missions , and the navigator ’ s position was left unchanged . In the Cockpit , the top gun turret and armor were removed . The bomb bay had 2 RADAR Consoles on either side of the walkway with the operators facing aft , and their backs against the cockpit bulkhead . The CIC Officer ' s position was at the right rear of the bomb bay and the left contained electronic and radio equipment . In the Radio Room , the radio operator ' s table was turned so that the operator faced outboard . The waist guns and ball turret were removed , and bench seats were installed at the waist windows for observers . Floating smoke markers were carried to be dropped during ASW or SAR missions . A latrine and kitchen area was included in the waist section . The tail guns and armor were removed , leaving room for extra parts , or cargo to be carried . The U . S . A . A . F . B - 17 bomber crew was usually 10 . After the PB - 1W conversion , the navy flight crew consisted of 6 officers , ( Pilot in Command , Second in Command , Navigator , CIC Officer , and 2 RADAR Operators / Controllers ) and 5 enlisted men ( Plane Captain , 2nd Mechanic , Electronics Technician , and 2 Radio Operators ) . Texas Raiders ' Service History . VX - 4 . May 1947 saw BuNo . 77235 assigned to VX - 4 , which was tasked with the development of airborne early warning systems at NAS Quonset Point , a base both on the front lines of anti - submarine warfare and on the cutting edge of research in airborne RADAR and electronics systems . Her first missions were flying patrols off of the east coast to extend the coverage of the “ Pine Tree Line ” along the 50th parallel . VX - 4 flew in conjunction with the first two cold war - era RADAR networks known as " Lashup " and " Permanent " , and was also an important component within the nationwide Semi - Automatic Ground Environment ( SAGE ) air defense system . VX - 4 flew with the tail code “ XD ” . VW - 2 . VX - 4 relocated to NAS Patuxent River , Maryland in 1948 . While at “ Pax River ” , VX - 4 was redesignated as Airborne Early Warning Squadron Two ( VW - 2 ) where she still supported the Atlantic fleet . This is where BuNo . 77235 spent most of her Navy Career . In June 1953 , she was once again overhauled , this time at the Naval Air Material Center ( NAMC ) at NAS Norfolk , Virginia and then transferred to VW - 1 in February 1954 to replace BuNo 77240 , another PB - 1W that had transferred to NAS San Diego . VW - 1 . Her last military assignment was with VW - 1 the " Typhoon Trackers " based at NAS Atsugi , located in the shadows of Mt . Fuji , on the main island of Japan . Ironically , the base was originally built in 1938 by the Japanese Imperial Navy as Emperor Hirohito ' s Naval Air Base to oppose the threat of American bombing raids . Besides AWACS missions , the Navy had flown missions for the Joint Hurricane Warning Service since 1943 , providing airborne weather data gathering on tropical cyclones in the Pacific . BuNo 77240 took her turns at these flights as well . While assigned to VW - 1 , she was assigned the new tail code of “ TE ” and was aircraft number 12 ( callsign : TE - 12 ) . It is from there that BuNo . 77235 flew her only combat patrols , supporting the forces fighting in the Korean War . The End of an Era . As electronic technology improved , the size of the electronics did not . Lack of scalability and lack of a pressurized cabin made the Navy look to the only aircraft that could logically follow in the steps of the “ Queen of the Skies ” , the Lockheed Constellation . In January 1955 , VW - 1 phased out PB - 1W operations for the new Lockheed PO - 1W , a Lockheed 749 Constellation , which was later redesignated the WV - 1 . The follow on aircraft to the WV - 1 was the WV - 2 , based on the Lockheed L - 1049G Super Constellation airframe . “ Whiskey Victors ” , as the aviating sailors called them , were much more comfortable for long range patrols , although the PB - 1Ws were considered much more favorable to fly by the pilots . The Connie would carry a crew of 22 , 6 , 500 + pounds of electronic equipment , and it was alleged to have been able to power a small city . Mustered Out . January 1955 , BuNo 77235 was placed in Flyable Storage Status at NAS Litchfield Park , Arizona , until officially stricken from the books on July 10 , 1956 . She was one of the last B - 17s left in U . S . service at the time , and said to be one of only 3 PB - 1W s saved from the scapyard or scavenging , and is currently the only flyable example of the type . She mustered out having 3257 hours flying time accrued on the airframe . From PB - 1W to Aerial Surveying . Aero Service Corporation of Philadelphia , PA bought BuNo 77235 for $ 17 , 510 . 00 on October 1 of 1957 . U . S . NAS North Island , California is listed on the C . A . A . Bill of Sale . She was civil registered as N7227C , classified as restricted by the F . A . A . , and used as a high altitude aerial surveying platform . At different times , N7227C had laser equipment , Doppler radar , a sensor pressure reference unit , blue spectrograph , Fairchild KC - 4 , T - 11 , and Wild RC - 8 type 35mm cameras , a Bell and Howell 11Q strip camera , a gyroscopic camera mount , a magnetometer with a trailing cone probe , a Zenith photometer , and an airborne profile recorder probe in the nose installed . A large cargo door was installed on the port side of the aircraft , along with cargo flooring . Aero Service Corporation was bought by Western Geophysical , a company that specialized in using reflection seismology to explore for petroleum . Western Geophysical was later sold to Litton Industries . Even though it had changed owners twice , Aero Service Corporation , renamed ASC Inc . , but still based in Philadelphia , sold N7227C to the Confederate Air Force on September 2 , 1967 . N7227C Joins the Confederate Air Force . The Confederate Air Force , based at Rebel Field in Mercedes , Texas paid Aero Service Corporation $ 50 , 000 for N7227C . At that time , she was white on top with gray undersides and red striping and she also had a large United States flag on the tail . A Confederate States of America Battle Flag was added to it after the CAF purchase . She was repainted olive drab with a dark green camouflage pattern . It was decided that they would not choose to commemorate a single particular aircraft that flew during World War II , so she was named " Texas Raiders " during her first CAF restoration in the 1960s . Nose art was later applied , consisting of the Texas flag and “ Texas Raiders ” in white block lettering . Commemorating the 305th Bomb Group Triangle G . In 1970 photos , Texas Raiders is shown with serial 41 - 24592 , and flying in the colors of the " Mighty 8th " Air Force ; 1st Bomb Wing / 1st Air Division ’ s ; 40th Combat Bombardment Wing ; 305th Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) with the “ Triangle G " tail code . Their motto was “ Can Do ” . The KY - D coding represented the 366th Bombardment Squadron ’ s plane " hull number " D . The actual aircraft that was KY - D during WWII was 42 - 30650 , commanded by Lt . Verl Fisher . The 305th flew out of USAAF Station 105 Chelveston , England and their squadron callsign at the time was “ Grubby ” . At some point , a scantily clad cowgirl with six - guns in hand , next to a Texas flag replaced the original nose art . A United States Air Force Rockwell B - 1 bomber later copied the name and loosely copied the nose art as well . Texas Raiders has undergone many changes to put her back to the B - 17 G model configuration that flew with the United States Army Air Corps in the European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) under the " Mighty " Eighth Air Force . She was assigned to the Gulf Coast Wing by the CAF in 1972 , and remains in their care today . In the early 1970s , she was based at Scholes Field ( KGLS ) at Galveston , Texas before moving to Ellington Field ( KEFD ) in Houston , Texas . In 1977 , the fully operational Sperry ball turret , a partial top turret , and tail guns were installed . Texas Raiders underwent a $ 300 , 000 restoration and rebuild project from 1983 to 1986 , which saw the cargo door and cargo flooring removed , original flooring replaced , as well as the bomb bay , operating bomb bay doors , and the bombardier ’ s chin mounted machine gun turret restored . A $ 180 , 000 . 00 + interior overhaul and new paint job was completed in 1993 , with the current nose art being applied at that time . Commemorating the 381st Bomb Group Triangle L . Texas Raiders is currently painted in the combat colors commemorating the U . S . Army Air Corps ’ 8th Air Force , 1st Bomb Wing / 1st Air Division ; 1st Combat Bombardment Wing " triangle " ; 381st Bombardment Group ( Heavy ) “ L " , 533rd Bombardment Squadron ' s " VP " plane " hull number " " X " . She now retains her proper original Douglas factory serial number , 44 - 83872 . In 1942 , the 381st Bombardment Group was formed at Pyote Air Force Base , Texas which was nicknamed the “ Rattlesnake Bomber Base ” due to the amount of rattlesnake dens in the area . After training in the U . S . , the 381st was assigned to USAAF Station 167 , Ridgewell Airfield in Essex , England , where they amassed a very impressive unit history . The 381st would later become the 381st Strategic Missile Wing , maintaining LGM - 25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBMs ) . Currently , the 381st Training Group ( 381 TRG ) is based at Vandenburg AFB , and performs space and missile training for Air Force Space Command . The original B - 17 coded VP - X was Boeing B - 17F serial 42 - 29983 , named " Iris " , and later renamed " Uncle Sammy " . She was lost on August 17 of 1943 . Douglas built B - 17G serial 42 - 37719 was named “ Dinah Mite ” for a time and then “ Hellcat ” . She was lost on January 11 of 1944 . Lockheed Vega built B - 17G , serial 42 - 97503 was named " Princess Pat " . She was listed as salvaged on 3 / 25 / 45 . The last VP - X was Boeing B - 17G serial number 43 - 39300 , which retired back to the United States in May 1945 . The 533rd Bomb Squadron ’ s callsign was “ Tabby ” , so these " VP - X " aircraft would have been known as “ Tabby X - Ray ” . Current status . Texas Raiders has finished a lengthy and costly main spar replacement project , started in 2001 due to the Federal Aviation Administration ' s ( FAA ) Airworthiness Directive # 2001 - 22 - 06 , citing corrosion in the wings . TR was flown to south Houston ' s Hobby Airport ( KHOU ) where she would be based for over 5 years . After testing , it was determined that Texas Raiders did indeed have corrosion pitting , and cracks on the wing root hardware , so replacement parts had to be re - manufactured from scratch . To complicate the process , the design had to be approved by the FAA . It was further decided that since she would be out of service for an extended period that she should be completely refurbished . This project ended up costing well over 500 , 000 dollars by the time the project was completed . Texas Raiders returned to flight again on October 14 , 2009 , and then debuted at her " home airshow " , Wings Over Houston later that month . March 2010 found Texas Raiders relocating to a spacious hangar at the Tomball Jet Center in David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport ( KDWH ) in Tomball , Texas . Texas Raiders rejoined the air show circuit in 2010 , just in time to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the B - 17 . She has traveled to the world renown Experimental Aircraft Association EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow , where she was featured in AeroShell Square . She has also participated in the Gathering of ' Fortresses at the Thunder Over Michigan air show , and as a tribute to the unit that she memorializes , appeared at the 381st Bomb Squadron ' s reunion . In 2012 , she participated in the airshow at Dyess Air Force Base . TR was hosted by the 436th Training Squadron , which is the unit whose linage goes back to the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron that Texas Raiders commemorates while performing in the Tora Tora Tora act .