''Liberty Belle'' was a popular name for United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircraft during World War II; over two dozen known individual

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

es and

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s used the name. The combat ''Liberty Belle''s were commemorated by two B-17s which used the name, with one still remaining as a static display: ''Miss Liberty Belle'' ( USAAF serial 44–83690) is displayed at the

Grissom Air Museum The Grissom Air Museum is a military aviation museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru, Indiana with over twenty aircraft on display. History The museum's origins date to 1981, when the Grissom Air Force Base Heritage Museum Foundation was for ...

. The Liberty Foundation flew a composite B-17 named ''Liberty Belle'' (constructed from two damaged aircraft (sn. 44-85734 and the rear part of sn. 44-85813)) as a warbird from 2004 until 2011, when it was destroyed in a fire after an emergency landing. It is currently under rebuild at the Brooks Aviation Center in Douglas, Georgia.

Restored ''Liberty Belle'' B-17

Boeing B-17 (sn. 44–85734) did not see combat in World War II, and was originally sold on 25 June 1947, as scrap to Esperado Mining Co. of Altus, Oklahoma; it was then sold again later that year for $2,700 to

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...

, which operated the B-17 as a heavily modified testbed aircraft (similar to B-17s sn. 44-85747 and sn. 44-85813). Following these flights, it was donated to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association, where a tornado on 3 October 1979, blew another aircraft onto the B-17's midsection, breaking the fuselage. The B-17 was eventually purchased by aviation enthusiast Don Brooks, who formed the Liberty Foundation to exhibit it as the ''Liberty Belle''. Restoration began in 1992 with parts from another damaged B-17 (sn. 44–85813), performed by Tom Reilly and company/ Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum (aka "Bombertown USA"), located at that time at Kissimmee Gateway field, Kissimmee, Florida. She returned to the air on 8 December 2004 and had been touring the country offering the public rides on the bomber. The Liberty Foundation also took an historic overseas tour in July 2008 along the northern ferry route to England. On the morning of 13 June 2011, ''Liberty Belle'' made a forced landing in Oswego, Illinois, after taking off from

Aurora Municipal Airport Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport is a public airport opened in April 1966, located in the village of Sugar Grove, Illinois, United States, west of the city of Aurora, both in Kane County. The airport is owned and operated by the City of A ...

in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of a North American T-6 Texan being flown as a chase plane informed ''Liberty Belle''s pilot that the B-17's inboard left wing was on fire and advised an immediate landing. The bomber landed successfully in a nearby field and the seven people on board were able to evacuate without injury; but due to the muddy ground in the field, fire engines could not reach it, allowing the fire to spread and destroy the aircraft. The bomber's remains were stored in a hangar in Aurora for a few days before being taken back to its home at Brooks Aviation Inc in Douglas, Georgia. It is currently under rebuild to airworthy status, using the forward fuselage of another B-17 (sn. 44–83387) and other new parts, but it is not known when the restoration will be completed.

Museum ''44-83690''

''Miss Liberty Belle'' (sn. 44–83690), a B-17G, was modified postwar to serve with the United States Air Force as a drone director DB-17P, before being retired in 1958. It was on display at the

from 1961 to 2015, just outside the former Grissom Field in central Indiana where it was displayed as sn. 42–31255, ''Miss Liberty Belle'' of the

305th Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

stationed at RAF Chelveston (USAAF designation "Station 105") in the UK. The aircraft was moved to the Museum of Aviation at Warner Robins, Georgia, in 2015 for restoration.

References

{{B-17 family Individual aircraft of World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress