# B-17 Fuddy Duddy



## Micdrow (May 29, 2007)

Question for some of you out there. Anybody know the status of the B-17G Fuddy Duddy. Once she was sold she seemed to have disappeared off the map. I was hoping that who ever had bought her would keep her flying on tours.

Thanks in advance
Micdrow


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## pbfoot (May 29, 2007)

If you look at Evangliders pics you'll see her in SoCal the guys in WNY are still pissed about her departure


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## Micdrow (May 29, 2007)

Yeah I new she was in California, but you cant find anything on here any more. Flight schedule and such. Seems like a shame that since it was fully flyable by the EAA before she was sold. Last tour that I know of that she was on was with the EAA as a substitute for Aluminum Cloud after here mishap.


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## evangilder (May 29, 2007)

It is right now down for inspection after the bird strike at Chino on Saturday at the show. It hit a turkey vulture that left a 1 foot hole in the leading edge of the wing that will require clean up and inspection of the spars before it will fly again. Last I heard, it was about a $10,000 bird strike.

The owner keeps it down in Long Beach normally, if memory serves.


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## Micdrow (May 30, 2007)

Thanks Evengilder, Wow what a bird strike. Any idea on where a flying schedual is on the aircraft or web page?


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## evangilder (May 30, 2007)

No idea. It will likely be down a few weeks while they get the inspection and make the necessary repairs. I thought I grabbed some literature from them last year, but can't seem to locate it. Let me see what I can dig up.


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## R-2800 (May 30, 2007)

That sucks that it hit a bird and quite expensive too.


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## Heinz (May 31, 2007)

I hear the birds rebuild will be quite difficult  bad taste sorry........


Its a shame about the B 17, I hope all goes well!


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## evangilder (Jun 2, 2007)

I have a shot of Fuddy Duddy just after the strike on jetphotos.

JetPhotos.Net Photo » N9563Z (CN: 83563) Private Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress by Eric Van Gilder


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## Micdrow (Jun 3, 2007)

Cool Pic, looks like it would be a hard place to repair.

Thanks evangilder


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## blu3y4 (Jun 22, 2007)

very nice pic


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## evangilder (Jun 22, 2007)

I forgot to mention that Fuddy Duddy has been repaired and is back in the sky. The repair job looks great and you can't tell at all. The only damage appears to have been sheet metal. That was good news.


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## pbfoot (Jun 22, 2007)

Believe it or not thats not her first strike I was talking to a few of the previous crew from Fuddy Duddy and they had a bird strike over Atlantic City or Maine and the bird entered the nose and was guts and gore all the way to the tail


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## Givemebreak (Jan 5, 2008)

Hello all,

I was searching on the Fuddy Duddy and came up with this great site.


A little story....

I will have to do some more research and look through some old photos but my grandfather flew this incredible aircraft. I am 34 now but around 20yrs ago? When they rebuilt this B17 to look like the Fuddy Duddy I was there. The original crew went down with the original Duddy but my Grandfather was part of another crew that flew this bird. They gather all the survivors and got them down to Geneso NY for the first flight as the Fuddy Duddy. I still remember looking around the inside of this plane and watching it take off with the crew. It was an amazing sight to see. They were all on the news that evening as well.

I will have to go to my moms and look for some pics.

My grandfather and father have both passed from cancer so unfortunately I have is whats left in my memory of it. I will get what I can for pics and scan them and post them. I do remember that 1 ring around the prop was unpainted for some time, but appears that is all done. What a great looking plane.

Jeff

EDIT: Well look at that!
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Fuddy Duddy, 2008 Calendar by Brian Lockett (Calendar) in History

I will just have to buy one up!


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## B-17engineer (Jan 5, 2008)

THey have website with pictures this prolly wont be a help but

http://www.eaa96.org/gallery/B-17_tourstop


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## evangilder (Jan 5, 2008)

After the birdstrike repairs
Van Gilder Aviation Photography, QB-37, June 11, 2007- B-17G "Fuddy Duddy"

Before and after birdstrike at Chino
Van Gilder Aviation Photography, Chino 2007- B-17 Flying Fortress

Older shots of Fuddy Duddy and other B-17s.
Van Gilder Aviation Photography, B-17 Flying Fortress

I have a shot of Fuddy Duddy for May in my Chino Airshow 2008 calendar.

If you are looking for more shots of it, I have more, and will probably see more of it this year on the show circuit.


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## Micdrow (Jan 5, 2008)

Awsome pictures as always Eric, Some great in shot flights. As you know I can always look at more shots of B-17's.


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## evangilder (Jan 5, 2008)

Yeah, one of the days I want an air-to-air shoot with one. THAT would be cool!


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## Micdrow (Jan 5, 2008)

evangilder said:


> Yeah, one of the days I want an air-to-air shoot with one. THAT would be cool!



Yeah that would be awesome. An air to airshot with fighter just off the wing of a B-17 would look great.


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## evangilder (Jan 5, 2008)

Yeah! I'd love to have a B-17 and a Mustang for an air-to-air shoot. You wouldn't be able to sandblast the grin off my face after that.


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## Micdrow (Jan 6, 2008)

evangilder said:


> Yeah! I'd love to have a B-17 and a Mustang for an air-to-air shoot. You wouldn't be able to sandblast the grin off my face after that.



I could beleive that but then again I would be the same way.


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## Spooner (Nov 20, 2008)

Fuddy Duddy is based at John Wayne Airport in Orange County CA at Martin Aviation. It is owned by William Lyon. It flys about once a month and is kept in airworthy condition. I used to work at the Martin Aviation and have had the privilege of working on and riding in the aircraft on more the one occasion (including the Chino Airshow). 
As for the birdstrike, The entire leading edge was replaced after the aircraft was ferried back to John Wayne. Boeing ingeniously attached the leading edges with a series of 1/4" pins. allowing for us to fit a replacement leading edge in about a day. 
A museum is currently being finished on site at Martin Aviation and the aircraft will be being kept out the elements within a few weeks. I can assure you the Fuddy Duddy will continue to fly and be mainted to standards that exceed those of the EAA.


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## seesul (Nov 20, 2008)

Good news Spooner, thank you!


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## evangilder (Nov 20, 2008)

Spooner, are you involved with the group down there? Ray Dieckman did a fabulous job flying Fuddy Duddy at Chino this year.


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## seesul (Nov 20, 2008)

Eric, great pics, could you send me them in higher resolution?
[email protected]


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## syscom3 (Nov 20, 2008)

I get to see Fuddy Duddy every time it flys.

By the grace of god, the flight path the pilot(s) takes too and from the airport, seems to always be over my neighborhood.

Nothing like hearing the roar of four radial engines in the distance, and then seeing the B17 come into view!


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## evangilder (Nov 20, 2008)

seesul said:


> Eric, great pics, could you send me them in higher resolution?
> [email protected]



What size, Roman?


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## Micdrow (Nov 20, 2008)

Spooner said:


> Fuddy Duddy is based at John Wayne Airport in Orange County CA at Martin Aviation. It is owned by William Lyon. It flys about once a month and is kept in airworthy condition. I used to work at the Martin Aviation and have had the privilege of working on and riding in the aircraft on more the one occasion (including the Chino Airshow).
> As for the birdstrike, The entire leading edge was replaced after the aircraft was ferried back to John Wayne. Boeing ingeniously attached the leading edges with a series of 1/4" pins. allowing for us to fit a replacement leading edge in about a day.
> A museum is currently being finished on site at Martin Aviation and the aircraft will be being kept out the elements within a few weeks. I can assure you the Fuddy Duddy will continue to fly and be mainted to standards that exceed those of the EAA.



Thats great news Spooner, I would love to see the inside of it some day. Maybe some day it will come back to airventure. I know when it was on loan to the EAA that I never able to see it up close. Good luck on your restoration.


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## seesul (Nov 21, 2008)

evangilder said:


> What size, Roman?



OK, let´s say 500 kB each...
Thank you!
Roman


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## Airframes (Nov 21, 2008)

Terrific pics, as always, Eric!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Nov 21, 2008)

Great shots evangilder!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## evangilder (Nov 21, 2008)

Thanks guys. It was the clearest I have ever seen it at Chino this year, but it was hotter than hell.


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## dominic754 (Nov 21, 2008)

As much as I admire Spooner his facts are a little bit off. We have a surplus of leading edges and I had to determine which one was in the best shape. I had to remove the decrepid de-ice boot, and the associated tubing and adel clamps that supplied air for de-icing procedure. I then had to cover the de-ice boot outlets and clean up the leading edge so that it would look like it was part of the aircraft. That took two days. If you look closely, the 2007 airshow pics of the top of the right wing and the 2008 pics of the right wing are different. The difference is the blue paint. Look closely and you will see the difference. Being that it was the first time that I had performed this evolution it took about a 1.5 days to get the leading edge off. Spooner was right about the pins, what he didn't tell you was that there are about 36 of them. Also those pins don't just drop out or drop in. You have to massage them in ways that would make your first girlfriend proud of you. He also negelcted to tell you about the 200 or so screws and washers that have to be removed and installed to further insure the security of the leading edge. Also, there is a fairing that covers the outboard section of the wing to the wing tip. It took Spooner one day to fabricate that fairing. He did a great job and it still looks great. All in all it took two guys about five days from time of removal to time of install. If anyone in interested I will tell you what parts of the hawk that I found in the wing structure


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## evangilder (Nov 21, 2008)

I thought it was a turkey vulture that was hit.


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## dominic754 (Nov 22, 2008)

I was in the airplane and saw the strike. Poor hawk never had a chance.


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## evangilder (Nov 22, 2008)

Not against a Fort! I heard about it on the radio. I found it ironic that you guys were the tail-end Charlie for the massive gaggle and all those other planes went by without a problem. Here is what it looked like from my perspective.


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## Catch22 (Nov 22, 2008)

Yikes, that could've been very ugly!


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## dominic754 (Nov 22, 2008)

Funny thing was that we saw it but didn't feel a thing. No shudder, nothing. It lends to the belief that many of the crewmembers had regarding the toughness and durability of the airplane.


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## pbfoot (Nov 22, 2008)

dominic754 said:


> Funny thing was that we saw it but didn't feel a thing. No shudder, nothing. It lends to the belief that many of the crewmembers had regarding the toughness and durability of the airplane.


The first bird strike I think was much more exciting , I believe it went in at the nose and they were picking up bird carcass all the way to the back


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## Catch22 (Nov 22, 2008)

dominic754 said:


> Funny thing was that we saw it but didn't feel a thing. No shudder, nothing. It lends to the belief that many of the crewmembers had regarding the toughness and durability of the airplane.



It certainly does!


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## Geedee (Dec 6, 2008)

Great shot Eric (you're right, I'm going to have to make the trip to Chino one day !)

Thought I'd post write up I did on another forum about my trip in Fuddy Duddy back in 2005 ...sorry, being lazy and cant face all that typing !.

You guys are really lucky to have so many airworthy Forts and ones that you can go for a flight in as well !!

I wondered about going for a flight and 'ummmed' and 'ahhhed' for a long time before taking the plunge...

My advice ?...Dont think...do it !.

I've had two sorties in Fuddy Fuddy, once in 2004 and once 2005 both times at Oshkosh.

Talk about sensory overload...when you get to sit down in a live Fort with the engines running and feel the whole 'plane living, smell the smell, hear and feel the noise, sense the excitement of the other passengers, its quite a moment. You see the exposed control cables moving as the guy up front throttles up from tickover to move and start the turns.

The taxi out to the active, with creaks and groans of the undercart, the odd dab of brakes and a slight increase in revs to go around the taxi corners.

Then the final turn onto the active. S'funny, but nobody... not one single person.... says a thing as the levers are advanced to take off power..... You dont just hear the noise, you feel it !. Its a roar, its a rumble, its everywhere. Everything is alive and the feeling of tremendous power pulling you forward...totally different to a jet airliner acceleration, not as fast but in a league of its own !....its magical. After a while, there's a slight sway and you realise your'e airbourne.

The signal is given to to undo the lap straps and go walkabout. You suddenly realise that you're surrounded by grinning idiots !. Every one, but every one has gone into silly grin mode....and that includes you.....then every one without fail starts to shake hands and pat backs, saying things like "awesome", "aw man, yeah !"....and one or two may be silent (but you can still see the gleam in their eyes)

First trip is under the pilots and upto the bombadiers station at the pointy end. To get to the pilots you have to cross over the bomb bay and yes, its a mighty narrow bit of 'plane you have to walk over the bomb bay to get to the office. My hat goes off to the boys who had to do that walk in full flying kit and a walkaround oxy bottle !. You can see the ground below through the cracks where the bomb doors meet. Then you get to enter the front and see that solo sit waiting for you to sit in, directly behind the Nordon. 

When you finally get to sit in that seat...and you look around... and realise that you are sitting in a 'Fort, with the roar of air through the fresh air vent vieing with the roar from the four big radials seemingly an arms length away though the side windows, its truly a humbling feeling. Oh yeah, your grin is now threatening to go into 'flip top head' mode !. 

You dont know what to do first or next so instead you've gone into machine gun fire rate on the camera shutter clicking away, trying to capture every moment.

You wont, BUT....and its a very inmportant BUT, you will never, ever forget that time that you sat up there...trust me (anyone who'se flown in a 'Fort whether as crew or a fair paying passenger will back me up on this) every time you see a 'Fort in a film or in the flesh, you'll be instantly transported to its inside, cos you've been there. 

Then its time to get back into the office and get the pilots views. Again, outstanding views looking over the leading edge of the wings with the Cyclones rumbling away at arms length....and just soaking up the atmosphere.

Back across the bomb bay catwalk and back through the radio section and into the waist area to see the view while holding onto the waist 50 Cals'. Relax, there will be other fanatics there to use your camera to take the obligatory shot of you crouching down behind the 50 cal.....and the guy with the camera never ever has to say 'Smile' !!!.

25 to 30 odd minutes of sheer sensory saturation, then its back to the seat and the final rumble as the wheels kiss the tarmac and you slow down for the short taxi back.

When you get out through that rear door, your feet dont seem to touch the ground....and they dont for a few weeks after either !.

Another funny thing is that on the bus trip to the flight, everyone is non stop chatting.....on the trip back, its like sitting in a library, no one speaks, all lost in their thoughts.

If you are going, go to an airshow....nope.....go to a big, really big airshow and then arrange for your flight half way through the event. You will not regret it.

I have one bit of advice, take plenty of film or lots of storage cards. ....and then you can have a cracking screen saver that'll be the envy of anyone you know, cos you where there, you took the pics and you wont be able to stop talking about it.

Trust me.


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## Geedee (Dec 6, 2008)

A few more shots


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## Geedee (Dec 6, 2008)

Last few


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## syscom3 (Dec 6, 2008)

Geedee, did you ride up front in the bombardiers position?

That was an outstanding place to view the world go by.

I flew on the Collings foundation B17 "9-0-9" back in 1994, and everything you described about your ride, I will agree with.


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## Geedee (Dec 6, 2008)

That'd be this seat then !

Yup, totaly fantastic experience and one that you cannot have in Europe....thats why I go to the States each year for a Warbird ride !.

If you've never sat on this seat when airbourne, then you have absolutely no-idea what you are missing, its an experience that will stay with you till the day they put you 6 feet under.


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## syscom3 (Dec 6, 2008)

Geedee said:


> its an experience that will stay with you till the day they put you 6 feet under.



8) 

I also flew on the B24 back in 1995


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## Micdrow (Dec 7, 2008)

Great pictures there GeeDee, do you go to airventure every year? Im usually there every year. I happen to be one of the lucky ones as I live 30 minutes down the road from Airventure.


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## fuddyduddygranddaughter (Jun 7, 2012)

Hey Jeff do you remember what Papa's Job was on the Fuddy Duddy?

michelle




Givemebreak said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I was searching on the Fuddy Duddy and came up with this great site.
> 
> ...


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