YOU CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE

Probably stole the helicopter and was flying under the radar. If so, stopping to ask directions makes sense. In ‘Murica that shit would end your military career.

After WWII, Art Lacey bought a brand new B-17 flying Fortress bomber in Altus, OK to use as a gimmick at his gas station in Milwaukie, OR. He crashed the first one right after take off so they gave him another one. He flew it from OK to S. Kommiefornia to refuel and then took off headed for OR.

He encountered clouds and fog en route and got lost so he decided to fly tree top level buzzing towns trying to read road and business signs to figure out where he was. He eventually determined his location and flew along the train tracks until he neared his destination. At that point he took a detour to buzz his mothers house to let her know he was home then he flew on to the local airport.

He dismantled the plane so it could be moved by barge and then by road to be set up as a static display over his gas station. Unfortunately they wouldn’t give him permits to move the plane by road so he and his friends moved it anyway in the dead of night.

His B-17 became known as the Lacey Lady and his station eventually became the largest gas station west of the Mississippi. That B-17 sat on display over his station for just shy of 50 years. It was in pitiful shape due to salt air and corrosion due to bird shit. Turns out that keeping the birds from roosting inside was damn near impossible.

The family wanted to have the plane restored to continue on as a static display but the B-17 Alliance Group convinced them to return it to flight so it is currently undergoing a full restoration in Salem, OR right now. The air frame and engines all have the lowest number of service hours on them of all B-17’s in existence.

You can read Art’s story here: http://www.b17alliancegroup.com/the-art-lacey-story.html

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