The aircraft was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in May 1945 as a B-17G with serial number 44-85813. It was leased to Curtiss-Wright and modified as a JB-17G engine testbed. The airframe was used to test the XT-35 Typhoon turboprop, and the Wright J65 jet engine among others.
The Ewing Aviation Company acquired the aircraft in 1966 and owned it until 1969 when it was owned by Ewing-Kolb Aircraft until 1970. Black Hills Aviation, owned by Arnold Kolb, then purchased the aircraft.[2]
In the late 1960s, the forward engine mount was removed and the aircraft was converted into an aerial firefighter in Spearfish, South Dakota. It was used as a firefighter until April 1980, when it crashed in Brunswick County, North Carolina, while taking off from a Forest Service airstrip; both crew members on the plane avoided injury.[3] Elements from the aircraft were used to restore another B-17, Liberty Belle.
In 2005, the remainder of the aircraft was bought by the Champaign Aviation Museum.[4] In conjunction with parts from several other airframes, restoration to flying condition began. In 2011, the museum recovered parts from Talkeetna, Alaska, to aid in the restoration.[5] As of 2013, nearly 90 volunteers had spent seven years restoring the B-17 at the museum and repaired around 70% of the fuselage.[6], restoration efforts were still ongoing on major components.[7]