Tue, Sep 07, 2010
There are few sights and sounds as inspiring as a B-17 in
flight... and as rare as they have become it is a tragedy that
every citizen does not have the chance to get close to the history
that these airplanes represent. Still; there are some patriots in
this nation who are bound and determined to make sure that the
iconic presence of these airplanes remains a reality for as long as
they live... and beyond.
On September 22, 1967, B-17 N7227-C was acquired by the
Commemorative Air Force, Mercedes, Texas from Litton Industries for
the price of $50,000. It was the first B-17 to be purchased and
operated solely for the purpose of preservation. The aircraft was
painted in military colors and nose markings were applied as "Texas
Raiders" with a Texas State flag by the CAF in 1970. During WW II
no B-17 carried the name of Texas Raiders.
After a period of time the 'Texas Raiders' was assigned to the
Gulf Coast Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Houston, Texas.
The Gulf Coast Wing has continued to upgrade and restored the
aircraft to it's original combat configuration by adding the ball
turret and top turret. All of the work was carried out by the
volunteers of the CAF group in Houston.
The "TR" has undergone a number of major restorations. The first
lasted three years (1983-86) and converted the "cargo" B-17
airframe to a fully restored "combat" B-17G . This restoration was
done with volunteer labor and cost in excess of $300,000. In 1993,
the second restoration was carried out. The nine month effort was
primarily to repaint the aircraft and complete the interior
restoration of the bomber. Costs of the restoration was
$180,000.
Most recently, the 'Texas Raiders' completed its most recent
renovation process and returned to flight in October of 2009... and
journeyed to Oshkosh 2010... where it thrilled attendees young and
old. Join Aero-Tv for a look at CAF's magnificent 'Texas
Raiders.'
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