Former B-17 air tanker spotted in Mississippi - Fire Aviation

Thank you for sharing my friend LTC (Join to see)
"Today I was surprised to see a B-17 Flying Fortress in an unexpected location — the Golden Triangle Regional Airport near Starkville, Mississippi. The old warbird had a paint scheme similar to air tankers — red at the top of the tail and red stripes on the wings. The tail and nose of the aircraft were covered with tarps, indicating work in progress.
It was Sunday and the facility was closed, so I could get no closer than 700 to 800 feet away, and the only camera I had was an iPhone 8.
I grabbed some shots using the 2x lens and still had to crop them extensively, so the resolution is poor, but good enough to read the serial number: 483785. A minute of research on the internet revealed that the full number is 44-83785, and its FAA number N-207EV is currently registered to Fortress and Fighters LLC out of Stow, Massachusetts. For 15 years it was on static display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum and according to Aerodynamic Media was acquired by the Collings Foundation in 2015 to join their popular “Wings of Freedom” tour.
B-17, #44-83785, partially obscured by two small aircraft at Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Mississippi September 2, 2018. Photo by Bill Gabbert.
However since this B-17 was operated by the CIA for 10 to 15 years the original serial number may be lost to history since the agency routinely changed the painted numbers on their aircraft in order to confuse the casual observer.
It served as an air tanker for about 10 years beginning in 1969 when Intermountain Aviation converted it into a firefighting resource. At various times it used tanker numbers 22, C71, B71, and 71."
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC (Join to see) Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Maj William W. 'Bill' Price Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey SSG John Ross SGT Mark Halmrast Sgt Randy Wilber Sgt John H. SGT Gregory Lawritson CPL Dave Hoover SPC Margaret Higgins SSgt Brian Brakke 1stSgt Eugene Harless CPT Scott Sharon

This bird has some sketchy history if the CIA had it 10-15 years. I've seen the Fulton rig in action from a C-130 in the 1980s. Pretty cool to see. Good share!

LTC (Join to see) Here is another, longer video of the Fulton system in operation.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkNiOjJvlS4