If you've been to Old Buckenham before, you will have seen this majestic, 29 tonne Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
Old Buckenham was built for American four engined bombers, so each year it's rather fitting that each day the Airshow is opened by the singing of the American national anthem, whilst a four engined bomber flys over a Memorial to 392 USAAF airmen who died fighting for freedom.
79,000 Allied Airmen died in WWII. This B-17 flies in tribute to them. This B-17 is the only one outside the United States to do so. Just five other B-17's remain airworthy.
There's a reason why so few are still flying. Keeping them in the sky is simply impossible. When they were built, it took the Army Air Force of the World's greatest military to keep them aloft. After the war, it was really left to a few extremely well funded and excellent museums in the States to find the simply absurd resources required, including hundreds of experts and mega budgets.
As the years have progressed, it's got even less possible. You can't call round to find spare parts for an aircraft bigger than a hangar and built for a war which has been over for 80 years. And that's just where the problems start, all of which mount up to make the concept of keeping a Flying Fortress flying ludicrous. The US and other nations which operated the B-17 only did so for a matter of a few years, and they're nations. It's impossible.
And yet, 2025 is the fiftieth year in which a B-17 Flying Fortress has flown all over Europe in tribute to those 79,000 Allied Airmen. And that's not achieved by a nation. It's been done by a miracle called Elly.
This B-17 is called Sally B. Elly Sallingboe has been her operator for fifty years. So Elly has operated B-17s five times longer than another significant operator - the United States of America.
She's done so, aided by the largest supporters club of it's type in aviation and this year we'll be able to mark two extraordinary pieces of history; the 80th anniversary of VE Day and the 50th anniversary of aviations greatest pairing; two irreplaceable, unique, majestic, vital legends called Sally B and Elly Sallingboe, B.E.M.
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