5 Grand

The "5 Grand" in flight. This was the 5,000th B17 built during the war. The B17 was licensed to be built by the Vega (Lockheed) and Douglas Corporations. This particular aircraft was built at the Boeing plant in Seattle. The golden patina is a result of the thousands of signatures the workers applied to the hull of the aircraft during its construction. The weight of the ink reportedly reduced the top speed by 5 knots.

(photo NARA courtesy of Ron L. Martin)

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