ONE SMALL49 MERCURY & ONE HUGE B-17 Somewhere along mid-summer, we motored south on Highway 99E, a two lane hiway outside of Portland, Oregon in our 49 Mercury. I was about seven, one of four kids, I occupied the back seat of that big sedan sporting Iowa license plates. Wed gone to Salem to visit an Uncle on my Moms side long about July, 1954 while there my Dad decided he wanted to see exactly how big the Columbia River was and to drive across the bridge from Portland into Washington, so we made a sightseeing day of it We were heading home late afternoon, well, actually, back to Salem cuz we were staying with my Uncle for a few days and the cherries in his back yard trees were about ripe for picking. Dad love Bing cherries I was almost seven and our Mercury was only five years old. Wed left the outskirts of Portland motoring about 60 mph on a long straight stretch of Highway 99 with nothing but open fields as far as the eye could see. From about a mile away, Dad pointed at the dark image out the front window, Look, look boys, meaning me, and my brother Dan, looks like a huge airplane on the ground up ahead. Think it might be a crash? Sure enuff, it was a plane, it was huge and it did look like it was sitting out in the middle of a pasture all by itself. I always got the back seat with my sisters and my brother always got the front seat cuz I was always picking on him. As we got closer, we could see it was truly an airplane not just any small two-seater but a huge bomber a WWII B-17 bomber, four huge engines, wheels extended to a landing position, painted in US Air Force colors and complete with top and side gun turrets, sporting huge bore machine guns, a belly gun, nose guns, a glass chin cockpit for the bombardier and twin tail guns. It was an awesome sight and grew ever larger as we neared it. When we were a few hundred feet away, we noticed it wasnt sitting on the ground at all it was atop a small building and below its fuselage, a gas station. The 103 foot wingspan hung out over the four gas pumps and the fuselage of the B-17 hung just above the roof of an open bay building there was an open stairway alongside the building leading into up the plane. Look Dad, we can go up in that airplane, can we, can we? we shouted. The stairs certainly looked like anyone could actually get into the plane! We wanted to play in it Dad looked inquisitively at my Uncle Ehrich. He didnt know anything about the place, the plane or the station. Can we stop, Dad, can we, can we? Unbeknownst to us at the moment, the station was celebrating matter of fact, a huge celebration of sorts was going on. Seems the station owners daughter was having a birthday, and a celebration party was going on worked in there as well was a party for the station itself, now celebrating close to eight years of continuous operation. Gasoline had been discounted and Dad never missed an opportunity to fill up on discounted gas, along with that, they were having an all-you-can-eat buffet as well. Dad had the tank filled and the attendant told him, take your family over to the food tables and fill up on us. Of course, Dad was never one to miss out on a free meal either, or free birthday cake. Hay bales were used as chairs/tables, we sat and stuffed ourselves, the adults marveling at the size and grandeur of the B-17 as the roof of a gas station . After us kids were finished eating, Dad allowed us to go up into the bomber and play we were pilots, co-pilots, nose gunners, tail gunners and turret gunners and we shot down a lot of enemy fighter planes that day while bombing a lot of enemy cities we were Aces many times over and never once got shot down our B-17 was damaged many times, with enemy machine gun bullets rattling around in the cockpit and fuselage but never brought down by enemy gunfire we always made it back to our base! One thing we didnt know at the time -- this particular B-17, G model, didnt actually participate in the war, it was used to haul supplies until it was retired after the war and is the only surviving B-17 with the lowest air time on it. More than 12,000 B-17s, dubbed Flying Fortresses, were built for the war effort the B-17 bomber proved itself in the war many times over as one of the few bombers that could actually maintain flight with major battle damage to its engines, wings, tail sections and fuselage it was hard for the enemy to bring down a B-17 and usually only a direct hit by flak, removing a wing or blowing the fuselage in half would bring one down those airships survived impossible odds untold times by bringing home its fighting aircrew. The Bomber gas station, as it came to be known, first opened in July, 1947 a drive-in was added in 1948. In 1954, the station operated with four pumps and several attendants. Art Lacey, the owner and entrepreneur, offered his customers free bomber inspections and allowed them access to the interior of the plane. Singer John Denver was a frequent visitor, as well as aviation expert Dick Rutan the free inspections were so popular grooves were worn in the wooden planking of the floor and, consequently, souvenir hunters almost made off with everything that wasnt bolted or riveted down even then, simple nuts and screws never stopped parts from disappearing. Sometime in the mid to late 50s, a youngster fell out of the plane and Lacey was sued cost him $50,000. He closed the plane for inspections after that. Art Lacey died in late 2000 at the age of 87. It was he that bought the original B-17G bomber in early 1947 from an airplane boneyard in Oklahoma. The first B-17 cost him $13,750, quite a lot of money back then. He crashed that one into another B-17 on the ground hed never flown a B-17 before his daughter Punky Lacey-Scott, noted in her memoirs, that he read the flight manual until he thot he could handle the plane, then took off on a practice flight, not realizing hed need a co-pilot to help lower the gear to land. He crashed into a B-17, attempting a landing. He walked to base headquarters, admitted hed made a mistake and asked to buy another bomber the base commander wrote the first off as wind-damaged, but the next one cost Lacey $15,000 he didnt have. Friends were contacted, he borrowed, talked the local fire department into pumping the fuel from the crashed plane into his new one and then flew it as far as Palm Springs, CA. He wrote a hot check for more fuel, took off and nearly crashed into a mountain in Oregon as a result of being off-course in a snow storm. He eventually landed at Troutdale airport on Portlands east side and rushed to the bank to make his check good, thanks to two friends. He trucked the bomber to his new 200 x 200 foot site outside Milwaukie, fronting Highway 99, convinced that the plane, with its 103-foot wingspan, would make an excellent gas station canopy .and an area draw. The citys red tape surrounding the move made him angry, so, on a dark Saturday nite at 2 AM, loaded the plane onto four truks and moved it to its resting spot. For his act of civil disobedience, Lacey got a ticket for driving an overwide load cost him ten bucks in court. The Lacey Lady as it came to be known still stands in Milwaukie (a suburb of Portland) and is currently undergoing extensive restoration. The daughter of Art Lacey, Punky Scott, currently runs the restaurant, having gotten out of the gasoline business in 1991. Thru the 1960s the station did nothing more but maintain in the 1970s, the station grew to 48 pumps and 80,000 gallons of in-ground storage and sold 6 million gallons of gas a year. In 1991, new environmental laws complicated the fuel business and he found petroleum giants progressively more reluctant to sell to independent dealers. Art Lacey stopped selling gasoline and concentrated on the new restaurant alongside the station. The Bomber gas station, whose wings once sheltered what reputedly was the Portland areas busiest gas station, has been a landmark on Oregon Highway 99E just short of sixty years now. A restoration project is currently underway on the bomber- The Wings of Freedom Restoration Project has restored part of the magnificent bomber and those parts are on display in the Wings of Freedom showcase, a building that once served as a welding bay and now houses a budding museum and a growing WWII reference library. When Dad, Mom and us kids visited that small gas station in 1954 and played in the bomber, the actual big bore guns were still in the turrets, although they had been disabled and the actual bullets removed, but that didnt make a bit of difference to three make-believe dead-shot air heroes, we helped end another world war! Copyright 12-2005 RA Jetter/Aden Rush OK Kiddies...get ready for a NEW and IMPROVED version of the Friday Nite Read...coming your way...soon!!! Can't say anything more about it just yet...suffice to say it'll be rip-roaring, high speed lunacy from word to word...but first, a few words from your sponsor: Wanna read some car stories set in the 1960s? Wanna know how it really went down back then? Wanna know what new 1961 409s, 1962 406" Fords ran like off the showroom floor? Wanna read about illegal street races, fist-fights, sock hops, real cruising and Premium gasoline? Wanna know how most of us spent our weekends back then? Wanna ride along with a lunatic? If you do this book will, at least, educate you to how it really was in the Midwest! Bangin Gears & Bustin Heads is a commentary on the late fifties to mid 1960s a series of 26 episodes, with each episode explained, between each story. Vintage B & W photos are included-- a total of 208 pages. A personal, autographed copy is available at www.RAJetter.com or send check/ M.O. for $20.95 to: P.O. Box 440042, Aurora, CO80044.
Man...thats incredible! Lacey had a real vision to preserve the plane like he did and still use it to make money as a landmark. Very interesting story!!!
Damn Rog! Damn fine piece of writin'! You knew you had me when I read B-17! I wanna go back in time...really.
What a great story, thanks for sharing. I go up that way at least once a year can people go see the plane being restored ? CBB
Alas, the restoration of the aircraft has not happened, and it sits, nose less, above the old gas station to this day. Concerns about extensive corrosion make many wonder how long it will actually last Here is an interesting update: Speaking of sliding downhill quickly, I had a chance to view the Lacey airplane, 44-85790 first hand in August, and it is looking very poorly. I understand the efforts of the Bomber restoration folks as they have tried to marshall the funds and then reportedly never were able to get their IRS non-profit status approved. Nonetheless, this airplane is on short final to a rustpile collapse, which is a sad state to be in, considering it is 2005 and not 1953. Perhaps the airplane should be donated to an organizaton that can restore it correctly, at least to static condition. A flyer is doubtful given its corroded condition, and then, of course, there is a question of who actually owns the airplane... To be fair, I did not speak to anyone from the Lacey group, but I can imagine what they have to say, as has been said by them many times in the past. From what ever perspective, a sad story.
<LI class=MsoNormal style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1">More: Yet another indignity was suffered by the Lacey B-17G, 44-85790, in April. Still mounted, for the most part, above a parking lot in Milwaukie, Oregon, a truck ran into the tail, damaging or destroying the tail gun enclosure. As can be seen from this photo, the unit has been removed and a plywood cover applied to keep larger animals out of the fuselage. This B-17G, mounted on pylons since 1948, had its nose section removed eight years ago and partially rebuilt. Evidently, funding for a planned restoration has lagged way behind the effort and the airplane continues to deteriorate. This airframe and sister ship 44-85738 are really the only two intact U.S. Fortresses that have not enjoyed a significant preservation effort, aside from occassional cosmetic cleaning and painting. The skin on the Lacey airplane is clearly corroded. Sad to see the airplanes continue down this road. Thanks to Nick Veronico and David Anderson for the photos.
The effort to restore B-17G 44-85790, otherwise known as Lacey Lady is now presented in some detail at a new website located here. This B-17G is the one displayed over a gas station at Milwaukie, Oregon, since 1947. In the past decade, efforts were begun to restore the airplane, long outdoors and subjected to increasing levels of vandalism and corrosion. In 1997, the nose was detached and sent to Aurora, Oregon, where it was basically rebuilt. However, the effort fizzled due to lack of funds. A renewed effort is now underway, as detailed at the new Wings of Freedom website. Plans are presented for the display building and details the planned formation of a non-profit foundation to tell the story of the airplane and the war it fought in. Check out the website and consider helping to reassemble and finally display this B-17G. A word of caution, however, about placing too much faith in the account presented on the website about how this B-17 came to Milwaukie in 1947. After a fair amount of research and discussions with other individuals involved with the story, it is my considered opinion that the version long presented by Art Lacey of his airplane's acquisition and delivery is more fiction than fact. A fuller story is told in Final Cut with other information presented elsewhere on this B-17 News page. Thanks to Pat Carry for the head's up on the new website.
Thanx for the update Crazy...I'd imagine donating dollars and pocket change to benefit someone else's business welfare is not high on everyone's list... Obviously those reports are from those few that insist every old warbird should be put back to it's original flying condition and parked behind a fence so that they can only be seen from a great distance...much like every old restorer insists that all the Deusenbergs should be period correct and parked in a museum! I haven't been to Portland for a long while to see the plane...but to be able to stand under its wings and nearly touch it would be a far greater thrill for me than to see it highly polished and parked in a museum. R-
R, I am told it is a sad story, that they collected like a million dollars to start the restoration. Then they tried to turn it into a non profit deal and the IRS said no. So, now everything is in limbo now. I even heard that now threw all of this the resteraut that is there is now closed. There is also some mutterring about the quality of the resto done on the nose of it. All the info from a friend of mine also in to vintage planes that lives in OR. Thought you might be interested in the update. CBB
As of one week ago, when I personally talked to Punky, Art Lacey's daughter, on the phone...the restaurant is doing quite well...and open, they also run a catering business, doing well. The nose section is now completed and housed in a special glass-faced building so all can see the efforts of the restoration... For your personal information, Crazy, I do not write a story "lightly," I actually contact the necessary and correct people and get all MY facts straight from the "horses's mouth" and write it correctly with no misinformation...much as any GOOD author/writer/journalist should! Unfortunately, the rest of plane's restoration is not proceeding as fast as the Scott's would like it to...but Punky has not lost hope that it will be completed... Funny isn't it...how a few people can turn a perfectly good "cause" into a 'tailspin' of miscommunication, the spreading of rumor and misinformation... Guess the airplane restoration business isn't any different than the hot rod business...everyone likes what they like and thinks everyone else should follow their personal example...definitely makes the world go 'round! Thanx again, Crazy. R-
Thanks for the true info, not the rumor's I heard. Guess I will have to go see for myself when I am up that way next year. The cool part is thanks to you I will go an see it when before tonight I know nothing about it. Finally saw the Spruce Goose last year , been wanting to do that for a while. I would recomend that to anyone making a visit to OR. CBB
40Stude Dude; Great story! I have had this picture for a long time but I never knew this history until I read your post. Thanks for sharing. Don Coatney
Thanx Don, for posting that pic...that's just about how I remember the bomber when I was first there in 1954...as you can see there were two sets of stairs going up into the B-17...one on each side...certainly an impressive flying machine for a seven year old youngster...and to be able to play pilot, bombardier and gunner in it was even better...ahhhhh, the memories... R-
Wow, great story.........and sad, too, the condition it's fallen into. Sad, but just like gas stations from the 50s,they are all gone.
I love reading about that plane, watching all the old war flicks as a kid the B-17 was always my favorite and had a big influance on my joining the Air Force and not the Navy (most of my family had been Navy). The plane itself really is in pretty bad shape and looking worse every year, I drive by it every day and ate at the reasturant just last week, good food and always full of old vets willing to tell stories to us kids (I'm 44 years old). I have not seen the restored nose section as its not open during the hours I have off work and lunch just isnt enough time, I do know that should I ever come into cash that plane well get a good chunk. Thanks for the story !! edsel
Roger, That is way cool !!!!! However I am bumbed You new I went to Portland for a week and you never told me about that plane. That would be a hoot to go see. Oh well on the next trip I will make it a point to go check it out. did you get thoes holes drilled ?? Roach
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