Any old Oregonians remember Art Lacey's Bomber station?

My uncle took me there as a third-grader in the late 40's. For a fill-up, I got to climb up into the bomber and go all the way forward. The pilot's area was covered in pencil graffiti (not gang graffiti back then) and was a mess, but what a thrill for a small boy who recalled the years of World War 2. Even today, certain prop plane noises seem so familiar and take me back to those days. The Tunnel Dweller.

Shortly after WWII a guy named Art Lacey went to Kansas to buy a

surplus B-17. His idea was to fly it back to Oregon , jack it up in the air

and make a gas station out of it. He paid $15,000 for it. He asked which

one was his and they said take whichever you want because there were

miles of them. He didn't know how to fly a 4-engine airplane so he read

the manual while he taxied around by himself. They said he couldn't take

off alone so he put a mannequin in the co-pilot's seat and off he went.
Read the rest of the account here.

These pictures and more were sent to me by Rick Clyne, my former lead man at the Atlas launch site, Vandenberg, AFB, and a former helicopter rescue man/ door gunner from Vietnam.

More at RoadsideAmerica. Then here.  It is still around, but in a different form.   Badly in need of restoration,     Efforts to restore the old bomber.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress ; all models:  12,700 planes produced, entered service 1939, B-17F specs: top speed 295 MPH, 17,600 lb. bombload, twelve .50 caliber machine guns

Photos of all US WW2 bombers.

Below: Gunner's positions in a B-17 Flying Fortress. The poor ball turret gunner had a bad time of  it if he couldn't get out and the plane had to make a belly landing.

Poem; The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner