B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 44-85738 / Preston’s Pride

Delivered Louisville 18/5/45; Assigned 509th Comp Gp, as Drone, possibly the last survivor of Operation Crossroads, A-Bombs tests in Pacific; Returned to the USA 1946 for restoration at Tulare, Cal; operated by TWA as NX4600, then as NL before being donated to Iran government and later to France as survey aircraft; sat at Arizona garage 1974; Tulare, Cal. 1988, where damaged by vehicle collision 8/82 in USAF Museum. Repaired as displayed at American Veterans Memorial, Highway 99, Tulare, Cal, as PRESTON’S PRIDE.