<p>c/n 8246(-VE)
Built 1944 for the USAAF with the serial 44-8846. She is rare among surviving B-17s in being a genuine combat veteran, having flown with the 351st Bomb Group from Polebrook and the 305th Bomb Group from Chelveston, both part of the 8th Air Force, or “Mighty 8th”.
She joined Institut Geographique National (IGN) in 1954 and became F-BGSP, based at Creil as part of a fleet employed on worldwide survey work. She remained with IGN until 1985 when she joined the Salis Collection. She was then registered as F-AZDX, given a wartime colour scheme and named “Lucky Lady”. Sadly the grass strip at La-Ferté-Alais is unsuitable for permanent B-17 operations, so she was initially based at Paris Orly Airport and it was from there that she flew to the UK in 1989 to participate in the filming of the “Memphis Belle” movie. Flying scenes were shot during sorites flown from Duxford, while ground scenes were shot at the former RAF Binbrook. She flew mainly as “Mother and Country” with the codes ‘DF-S’ and ‘ZQ-X’, but also appeared as ‘MF-G’ with the name “Pink Lady”. She returned to Orly after filming but retained her movie scheme until 1998 when she was repainted back as 48846 with the codes DS-M, but retained the name “Pink Lady”.
In 2006 she moved to Saint-Yan, France, but still as part of the Salis Collection. In early 2010 the decision was made to retire her from flying, but to maintain her in near-airworthy condition in a purpose-built hangar at La-Ferté-Alais. She is seen there during the 2019 Fête Aérienne Le Temps Des helices (Aerial Festival – The Time of the Propellers).
Aérodrome de Cerny-La-Ferté-Alais, Cerny, France
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9th June 2019
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/65001151@N03">Alan Wilson</a> from Peterborough, Cambs, UK
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/49755050397/">Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘48846 / DF-M’ “Pink Lady” (F-AZDX)</a>