(By Scott Liggett) –We at Bangshift.com have such respect for the generation of WWII. Part of that respect includes the machines the men and women used to fight a world war against enemies intent on world domination. We are especially impressed with the flying machines from WWII. The B-17 Flying Fortress sits near the top of the list of that list.
We came across videos of Jack Bally and his 1/3 scale B-17 that he built in his garage over a period of nearly 20 years. The story starts out back in 1999 with him and his buddies having a few beers and bench racing about what kind of mechanical project they should build next. Jack and his buddies are into planes and flying them. Soon after Jack went researching detailed plans of RC B-17’s.
He found and ordered up 1/9 scale RC model plans and got to building. He upscaled and hand built each and every part. 17 years later, he had built a 1/3 scale B-17 that is flown by a real pilot. The result is detail that is absolutely amazing. Jack’s skill and patience is stunning.
Check out these videos as Jack Bally describes how he built this fantastic plane and scenes of it actually flying. We have also included an interview with the pilot of the plane as describes what it is like to fly it.
Unfortunately, Jack Bally passed away this past year. The aircraft really was incredible, had crowds around it non stop at Oshkosh in 2019. There’s a guy out there following a similar formula, building a 1/2 scale B-25 Mitchell from Zirolli plans…