Norwich International Airport

NORWICH, Thursday 21st June 2012 – Meet the famous B-17 Flying Fortress and its crew at Norwich International this weekend.

Norwich International Airport is delighted to host the last remaining airworthy in Europe, B-17G Flying Fortress (Sally B) this weekend. The B-17 Flying Fortress will be gracing the skies over Norfolk and Suffolk this weekend whilst taking part in this year’s Lowestoft Air Display.

The aircraft will be arriving at Norwich International Airport on Saturday 23 June at approximately 1520 and will depart on Sunday at 1500.

Whilst on the ground at Norwich International, you will be able to view the aircraft from the terminal, why not take the opportunity to stop for a while for a drink in Cafe Oasis. The crew will be more than happy to meet and chat with enthusiasts who are in the airport when they arrive.

2012 marks Sally B’s 37th display season here in the UK! That’s almost four decades - an incredible amount of time to keep any historic aircraft flying, let alone a huge B-17 Flying Fortress – a living piece of our national heritage with four thirsty engines.

It is also the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the first B-17 in Britain and represents an important chapter in the story of flight between 1942 and 1945 when thousands of B-17 Flying Fortresses flew daylight missions out of British bases. They helped bring about the end of the Second World War in Europe. It is in memory of the 79,000 allied airmen who died during World War Two that the aircraft is kept flying.

Sally B is permanently based at the Imperial War Museum Duxford where she is on static display when not flying. However, the aircraft is not part of the Museum’s own collection and relies solely on charitable donations, sponsorship, sales of souvenirs, and the loyal support of her working team of volunteers and 8,000 Sally B Supporters Club Members, one of the largest clubs of its kind in the world. Bearing this in mind, it is incredible to think that this aircraft has been flying in the UK for over 36 years.

Andrew Bell, CEO of Norwich International Airport said “We are delighted to welcome the B-17 Flying Fortress to the airport and offer our support to this worthwhile charity”
“This is an incredible amount of time to keep any historic aircraft flying, let alone a huge B-17 Flying Fortress” Says Operator Elly Sallingboe – “it is a living piece of our national heritage with four fuel guzzling engines and cost a fortune to operate. Throughout these often turbulent years, this aircraft has survived with no official support, relying solely on charitable donations, sponsorship, and the loyal support of its working team of professional volunteers and the 6,500 Members of the Sally B Supporters Club. But, we must raise more funds if we are to keep this much loved B-17 flying here, in the UK, where it belongs. Please help us achieve this, by making a donation to our registered Charity the B-17 Charitable Trust - Thank You”

Ends
Notes to Editors
B-17 G-BEDF Sally B Crew for Lowestoft 2012
Peter Kuypers – Captain & B-17 Liaison
Peter joined the Sally B family in 2009. He is well known as the Display Pilot of the Dutch B-25 Mitchell, which he has flown for 15 years. Peter is also a display pilot on the DC3/C47 Dakota and the Russian Yak 50 aerobatic aircraft. Over the past many years he has flown hundreds of displays in numerous countries in Europe and has dropped airborne paratroopers from Dakota’s over Normandy and Arnhem for WWII memorials. He started his flying career as a young boy of 14 on gliders and progressed from there to captain on Boeing 737 for KLM, his current position. Peter is also a test pilot on Boeing 737. During his comprehensive career Peter has flown over 15.000 hours on a wide range of aircraft types.
Peter Brown - Chief Engineer
Peter is responsible for the overall maintenance of the B-17 and the mountain of paperwork this entails. Following a plea for help he joined the team as Chief Engineer in 1984 and 2004 is his 20th year with the aircraft. Peter's very extensive career in aviation engineering began in 1950 with the RAF. On leaving the Air Force he worked at Marshall’s of Cambridge, Freddie Lakers Air Charter, Aviation Traders, Monarch Airlines, Cargolux and Trans-Meridian. He has worked on York Tudors B170, DC-3s, DC-4s, Vanguards and on the DC-3 replacement named “The Accountant", He was Chief Engineer for HeavyLift Cargo Airlines until he retired in 1998. Peters engineering knowledge, expertise and personality play a vital role to the existence of Sally B.
Elly Sallingboe – B-17 Operator
Danish born Ellinor Sallingboe, better known as “Elly” heads the B-17 organisation. In 1979 Elly Sallingboe and Ted White formed B-17 Preservation to operate and raise funds to keep the last remaining B-17 in the UK flying as the USAAF WW II Memorial Flight. Following Ted’s untimely death in 1982, Elly took sole control of the B-17’s operation, including the major challenge of raising the essential funds to keep this four- engined aircraft flying - a struggle that continues today without any official support of any kind. In 1981 she created the Great Warbirds Air Display which became the greatest show of vintage aircraft in Europe which she run for 13 years until, due to increasing costs it came to an end in 1992. In 1981 Elly obtained her Private and Commercial Pilots Licences. Since taking over the operation of the B-17 organisation in 1982 her life has been dedicated to the formidable task of keeping Sally B flying.
For more information about the B-17G Flying Fortress please visit www.sallyb.org.uk