Flight Fridays
Flight Fridays: Inside the B-17 Flying Fortress at the Palm Springs Air Museum
This week on Flight Fridays, NBC Palm Springs’ Mark Mester takes a closer look at one of the largest aircraft inside the Palm Springs Air Museum: the B-17 Flying Fortress.
Developed in the 1930s, the B-17 became one of the most recognizable American bombers of World War II. The four-engine aircraft was equipped with multiple mounted machine guns designed to provide defensive firepower during missions.
The aircraft reportedly earned the nickname “Flying Fortress” after a reporter saw an early version bristling with guns. Boeing liked the name, and it became the aircraft’s lasting identity.
The B-17 was designed for strategic bombing missions, with the goal of allowing American crews to fly to their targets, carry out bombing runs and return to base. Its role in World War II has also been highlighted in books and television productions, including “Masters of the Air.”
The Palm Springs Air Museum’s B-17, named “Miss Angela,” is a G model built under license by Lockheed Vega. Its distinctive features include the aircraft’s defensive gun positions and the glass-and-metal ball turret beneath the fuselage.
The Flying Fortress remains an important part of aviation history, representing the aircraft and aircrews involved in the Allied bombing campaign during World War II.
Watch Flight Fridays each week as Mark Mester explores historic aircraft and the stories behind them at the Palm Springs Air Museum.
By: NBC Palm Springs
October 19, 2026
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