In 1947, Milwaukie, Oregon, gasoline station proprietor Artwork Lacey discovered that decommissioned B-17 bombers, the enduring four-engine “Flying Fortresses” utilized by the U.S. Military Air Forces in Global Conflict II, had been on the market — affordable, round $15,000 — at Altus Military Airfield in Oklahoma.

About 5,000 of the greater than 12,000 B-17s constructed had been misplaced right through the struggle, and after the struggle, hundreds of those airplanes had been scrapped or bought.

“Altus have been a coaching base right through the struggle however was once closed down in April 1945 to transform a boneyard for surplus army airplane,” explains Matthew Burchette, senior curator at Seattle’s Museum of Flight. “There have been just about 2,500 planes at Altus, with most of the B-17s nearly brand-new.”

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Even though he was once an skilled pilot, Lacey hadn’t flown a B-17, or any airplane with multiple engine. However he had to put some type of roof, or cover, over his fuel pumps. And he concept that a kind of surplus B-17s would now not handiest serve that function but in addition draw shoppers to his carrier station alongside Course 99E close to Portland.

A chum who’d heard Lacey communicate in regards to the fanciful thought wager him $5 that it would not occur. And, partially to win that wager, the tale is going, Lacey borrowed $15,000 and set out for Oklahoma.

He purchased one B-17 for approximately $13,000, nevertheless it grew to become out to have misguided touchdown tools — a element Lacey discovered when making an attempt to land right through his take a look at flight. He ended up crashing his newly purchased airplane into every other B-17 that was once up for adoption. An working out base commander wrote the ones two planes off to “wind injury” and bought Lacey every other B-17, in higher form and with very low mileage, for simply $1,500.

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Buddies skilled in flying B-17s flew to Oklahoma to assist Lacey get that airplane house to Oregon. However when they landed, the problem was once getting the airplane from Troutdale Airport, close to Portland, about 20 miles down the street to Milwaukie. Lacey deliberate to transport the disassembled airplane down the freeway on 4 flatbed vans however was once not able to get a allow. Undaunted, he went forward anyway, transferring the vans at the hours of darkness of evening with employed motorbike escorts to lend (unofficial) credibility and, after all of it, paying just a $10 nice.

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Dubbed “Lacey Woman,” the B-17 was once reassembled to serve, as Lacey had imagined it, because the attention-getting cover for his gasoline station. And into the overdue Nineteen Fifties, motorists may just climb up into the aircraft for a go searching whilst their cars were given stuffed up and serviced. After that, they might have a meal at Lacey’s Bomber Eating place.

Even after legal responsibility problems compelled Lacey to discontinue self-guided excursions of the B-17, the Milwaukie Gasoline Station Bomber endured as a well-liked roadside enchantment. However over the years, the unforgiving northwest climate, a tricky financial system and different problems started taking their toll at the aircraft and the industry.

The gasoline station closed in 1991. And in 1996, 4 years ahead of he died at age 87, Artwork Lacey was once readily available for the removing of the decaying nostril segment of the aircraft — and for what his grandson, Jayson Scott, envisioned as the beginning of the recovery of Lacey Woman as an airworthy B-17.

“He informed me he did not have the power to assist out with the overall recovery challenge,” Scott informed TPG, “however he knew and authorized of what I had in thoughts.”

It took some time, however in 2014 the nonprofit B-17 Alliance was once in a position to take away the remainder of Lacey’s B-17 from its pedestal in Milwaukie and now homes the airplane’s items in Hangar “C” at Oregon’s ancient McNary Box/Salem Municipal Airport.

The bustling recovery facility at the fringe of the airfield doubles as a museum. There, guests can be informed in regards to the historical past of Global Conflict II, B-17s and Lacey Woman. And it is the place they are able to watch the gang’s greater than 120 volunteers lovingly deliver sections of the enduring airplane again to lifestyles.

Past its historical past as an iconic roadside enchantment, this B-17 is essential as it has so few hours on its airframe and was once inbuilt California by way of Lockheed-Vega, a subcontractor for Boeing that produced simply 2,250 G-model B-17s right through the struggle, notes the Museum of Flight’s Burchette.

The Federal Aviation Management considers 18 B-17s to be airworthy. However handiest 3 are flying right now because of an airworthiness directive that went into impact in Would possibly, stated Burchette. “As for airplane which are not airworthy however merely on show, there are 39 B-17s scattered around the U.S., England, France and, oddly, Brazil,” he added. And a few of the ones are made the usage of portions cobbled in combination from a couple of B-17 Flying Fortresses.

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As a result of flying warbirds is “dear and dangerous,” Burchette says he’d love to look the Lacey Woman restored in order that it could actually obtain “the honor it merits at the floor,” however possibly completely grounded as the center-piece of a bigger museum.

However Jayson Scott and the B-17 Alliance are made up our minds to get the Lacey Woman flying.

The gang estimates that along with hundreds of hours of volunteer time, it’s going to take greater than $6 million to get the aircraft airworthy by way of, expectantly, 2037.

“On occasion we commence running on one thing after which run right into a roadblock equipment-wise, FAA-wise or mechanical-wise, so it is exhausting to offer a proportion as to how a long way alongside we’re at the recovery,” stated Scott, “however there is no turning round now.”