At the end of WWII, the United States Army Air Corps decommissioned the B-17 bombers. These planes were crucial in winning the battles of the war. Some B-17s were sold for scrap. Some were used as fire bombers and aviation enthusiasts purchased some. Art Lacey wanted a roadside attraction to lure customers to his gas station in Oregon.
Art Lacey’s Legend of The Flying Fortress
The legend of Art Lacey’s B-17G Bomber is one of the history books. According to Lacey’s daughter, Punky Lacey Scott, the story began at Art Lacey’s 34th birthday party in 1947. Lacey announced his idea to put a bomber atop his gas station, and one of his friends told him that he could never do it. The discussion went back and forth for a while, culminating in a $5 bet between them. Thus, on a handshake, Lacey’s idea of using a bomber as a tourist attraction was catapulted into a plan of unstoppable action.
A Tale of Man and Machine in Milwaukie
As the story goes, Lacey borrowed $15,000 from a buddy, then went to the boneyard in Altus, Oklahoma and purchased one of the B-17G’s on the lot. Though Lacey had flown planes before, he admitted he didn’t know much about flying one with four engines, so he gave it a test flight. He managed to take off from the runway and get the landing gear up, but when he went to land the plane, only one of the landing gear wheels dropped. The other was stuck! He landed on the belly and slid into another B-17 but otherwise managed to escape unscathed.
After witnessing the harrowing ordeal, the proprietor of the Army Storage Depot agreed to write off the two planes as having suffered wind damage, and he sold a different B-17G Bomber to Lacey for a mere $1,000. Having assessed the power and complexity of the bomber firsthand, Lacey called in a few favors from friends, and with much ingenuity and while acquiring colorful tales and yarns befitting a legend, managed to land the Bomber in Portland and get it set atop his gas station on McLoughlin Boulevard in Milwaukie.
Lacey’s Bomber Offers Gas, Ice Cream and a Cockpit
The B-17G Flying Fortress did indeed become a tourist attraction. Almost overnight, cars began to line up for blocks to get their gas pumped at Lacey’s gas station, which soon became known as Lacey’s Bomber. Ice cream floats were served. Customers were allowed to climb a ladder in the rear of the plane and tour it. They were given free rein to twist, push, and pull the various nobs, levers, and gadgets in the cockpit. The neighborhood kids rode their bikes to the station to play for hours in the bomber.
The gas station became the most popular in the United States, selling more gas than any single station. Before it closed down in 1991, 44 years after Art Lacey’s daring reach for the sky, Lacey’s Bomberhad made an indelible impression on the entire country – it symbolized the American spirit of unity, sacrifice, and determination.
B-17 Alliance Foundation Commemorates the Brave and the Tenacious
The B-17 Alliance Foundation was created in 2006 with the intention of restoring Lacey’s B-17G flying fortress to its original condition. In 2014, after the plane’s 67 years as a gas station canopy, the foundation dismantled Lacey’s Bomber and moved it to the municipal airport in Salem for restoration.
On any given Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, the foundation invites the public to see their hangar and museum between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to not only see the volunteers hard at work on the restoration of the Lacey Ladybut also take a guided tour of the WWII displays carefully arranged to portray how America stood together, from victory gardens to production crews to the armed forces to triumph during the war.
A Museum of the Heroic and a Showcase of the Industrious
This museum, this hangar reverberating with the sounds of power tools and the view of a gaping engine carriage under reconstruction, is a force in itself. The volunteers contribute upwards of 8,000 hours a year toward restoring the Lacey Lady and are committed to the alliance’s mantra of “Under These Wings, We Preserve American History, We Educate Generations, We Inspire Community.”
Visitors are often greeted by Bill and Butch, two gracious and gregarious gentlemen. Bill welcomes guests with the air of a distinguished uncle you hadn’t seen in decades who was delighted to see you. Then, with no less enthusiasm, Butch gives an informed and well-represented tour of the WWII museum and then the Lacey Lady Bomber herself. It is estimated that it will require $9 million to get the Lacey Lady flying again and thousands more volunteer hours. Touring the museum and hangar, it is easy to see the commitment of the volunteers who remain optimistic and diligent in restoring the Lacey Lady and further preserving history while educating and inspiring all who enter.
B-17 Foundation and Museum
3278 SE 25th Street, Hangar “C”
Salem
