B-17 Pilot’s/Co-Pilot’s Seat Stenciling

[Jennison]

This B-17 seat was found in a scrap-pile on a French farm located between St Nazaire and Lorient. The seat was in pretty rough shape having been outside in the pile for decades. On the left side of the seat are the remnants of black stenciling. "A.F." can be made out, but what comes after is tough. Any ideas? Also, is there a definitive way to tell if this is the left or right seat?

Thanks as always.

 

[bse7entn]

Not sure what would have been stenciled after, but there should be another A in front: "A.A.F."
Depending on model of B-17 this same seat was used for Radio Operator so you have at least three possibilities of installation.

 

[Jennison]

Thanks, but isn't the outside back of the RO's seat different than the flight deck seats?

 

[bse7entn]

It depends on the model. I'd have to look up to confirm but I think E and early F had a different Radio seat.
There were armor plates on the flight deck seats but those weren't attached to the seat itself.
There was a period where Radio seat had an armor plate as well.

 

[BFreer]

This seat has on the base the sliders and the original springs which fit with it being mounted on the A-frame that was used for pilot and co pilot seat. The WOPS seats in the ealry models were not on an A- frame and were I thought on a rotating base.

 

[Jennison]

Here's the back of a RO's seat. Notice the reinforced slots for the cushion hooks, reinforced base, and lack of those horizontal attachment strips. I'm far, far, from an expert, but every RO seat I've looked at looks like this. All the B-17 Flight deck seats I've seen have the attachment strips and there is no reinforcing of the hook slots or base. As Mr. Freer points out, the base attachment points are also different. There could be other differences as well.
All that said, I'm hoping not to be led in this direction as I was asking about the stenciling on the seat, and whether there's a way to tell if this is the left or right seat. Based on where the stenciling is, I'd bet against there having been an "A.A.F". Looks more like just an "A.F." followed by illegible stenciling.

Thanks very much