QB-17 B-17 drone photos and film

[Bob Hudson]

I have mentioned in as thread about an extensive Air Corps/Air Force pilot's grouping at http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=23762 but I found some more details and thought it was time this got its own thread.

 

My attention was first drawn to this when I was reviewing some of 16mm film that came with the grouping and saw an orange B-17 getting blown out of the sky by a salvo of missiles.

 

It turned out the B-17 was a QB-17, painted orange and equipped with radio control equipment. Other B-17's were outfitted with equipment to let them control the QB-17's and, as I learned today, there were also ground control trucks. I have put the 16mm film on You Tube at

and here are a couple of screen shots from that:

 

 

 

Today I was going through the grouping in detail preparing an inventory list for its sale. In one of the books - a yearbook for Eglin Air Force Base, where this officer was Deputy CO of the Air Force Operational Test Center, and I found the section for the 3205th Drone Group with some nice photos.

 

Here is one of their QB-17's:

 

 

One of the remote control pilots stood on top of the ground control truck during takeoffs and landings:

 

 

 

[General Apathy]

Hi Forum Support, thanks for posting these photo's, real shame about the B-17's being used as drones, however some good shots of the Chevrolet panel van, a fairly rare vehicle then and even more so now.

 

Cheers ( Lewis )

[Bob Hudson]

Hi Forum Support, thanks for posting these photo's, real shame about the B-17's being used as drones, however some good shots of the Chevrolet panel van, a fairly rare vehicle then and even more so now.

 

Cheers ( Lewis )

 

That fighter in the background of the one truck photo is also a drone. Notice too the trucks had to tow a generator to all the electricity needed for the power-hungry tube equipment of that era.

 

I wonder what the guys who were with the AF Ops Test Center and the drone squadron would think of today's drones with their recon and combat missions?

 

In addition to the drone footage, this grouping also includes some 16mm film of strafing and low level bombing tests. The officer who was the source of the grouping actually wrote the book on strafing during WWII when he was CO of the 357th Fighter Squadron. The film is not as exciting as the QB-17 getting blown up, but it is still interesting and important as a record of the early Air Force developing new techniques for the jet age. I also have 16mm WWII gun camera film in this grouping, but as cool as that is, it is actually seems to be much more common than this kind of test footage. I only have basic system for transferring 16mm film to video but it would be nice to see this stuff preserved on HD video as an historical record. I was quite surprised that these films still played at all after more than 50 years.

[willysmb44]

Those drone B-17s are the same ones they used to film, "12 O'clock High" the movie at Duke Field (an field near the main base) and Ozark Field, which is now Ft Rucker...