My dad, a PBY pilot with VP-12, flew a B-17 on a patrol mission out of Nadi, Fuji, on 2-12-1943. He said it was easy to fly and noisy as hell. The Fort was formerly used by the 28th BS, 19th BG, 5th AAF, which had returned to the states in December having lost 22% flyers KIA and almost 40% of their aircraft, nevermind the personnel who died of tropical diseases. This aircraft was transferred to the 394th BS in late 1942 and flown with Gene Roddenberry as copilot with the name "Los Lobos" featuring a cartoon wolf's face as nose art. The plane was damaged in a raid on Rabul in 8-42. By the time my dad flew it, it had several thousand hours on it. In 8-43, it returned to the states, condemned as un-airworthy, and scrapped.
My challenge was to convert a G kit into an E, requiring me to make my own nose glass and decals. I "weathered" it to make it look as high-use as possible.
