For years when traveling through Tulare, California, on Highway 99, one could spot a World War II-era B-17 bomber nicknamed Preston’s Pride from the road. Taking Exit 83 would put you right at the fence that surrounds the vintage plane. The B-17 had been on outside display since 1958, and anyone who took the time to visit the airplane could tell it was in need of a lot of care. This is where Greg Stathatos and B-17 Archaeology enter the scene.
“This actually all started with a toy train set when my son was a kid,” Greg said. “I bought him a train set and it was in his room. Soon we were adding details to the layout, and we found an airplane that he wanted for it, so we bought it and built it. It just so happened to be a B-17. As I was tucking him in at night, he would ask for stories about the plane. I was running out of stories, so I started reading up more about the type of airplane to get more stories for him. What I started reading was amazing. To hear about how much punishment these planes could take and keep going was just incredible. But what was even more interesting to me was how these 10 men would come together as one team once they were in the air.”
As his fascination with the B-17 grew, Greg decided to see if he could get involved with the maintenance and caretaking with one of the surviving bombers. The closest B-17 to Greg at the time was on display at March Field Air Museum located at March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley, California.
The aircraft had been painted green, which was historically inaccurate for that individual airplane, which should have been bare aluminum.
“I talked to the curator of the museum about having a chance at cleaning and repainting it back to something closer to how it should look,” Greg said. “We were given the green light, and we accomplished just that. It wasn’t easy. It took 130 hours of just cleaning. Lucky for us, Home Depot got involved and really helped us out with support, supplies, and so much more.”
The next B-17 Greg set his sights on was off Highway 99. The local AMVETS post currently has it on loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft has a special history as one of the airplanes used as a drone controller for Operation Crossroads’ atomic weapons testing. The B-17 was officially retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1958, and Gen. Maurice A. Preston, a veteran B-17 commander and Tulare resident worked to get the plane brought to his town and dedicated as a memorial. The aircraft was given the name Preston’s Pride as well as markings for the 379th Bomb Group, of which Preston was a commander. There the aircraft stood guard over many years of weather and collisions with trucks while many of its interior parts were removed to be used on other B-17 projects.
Greg said he met with the AMVETs three times to plan and discuss the possible rehabilitation of Preston’s Pride. Finally, he was given permission.
“We first did a test piece to see what we were dealing with,” Greg said. “We were shocked that the dirt, grime, and stains seemed to be able to be polished out.”
Greg and his team then spent the next 30 days working on the airplane. The goal was not just to polish it but also to repaint some of its markings.
“Something special happened at the airplane,” Greg said. “The local community took notice of what we were doing. Soon people started bringing food out for us to the plane. One gentleman set up a BBQ spit there to feed the crew. Locals who were kids when the plane first came in would step forward to recall their memories of the plane landing.”
Some who had just come out to see the old bomber getting attention found themselves hard at work with the crew.
“We always said this aircraft is not just Preston’s Pride, but is the pride of Tulare as well,” Greg said. “The community owns it.”
The exterior was cleaned to a mirror shine, and more than 60 years of weather, dirt, and grime have been removed. Now, a plan is being put in place to continue a cosmetic restoration of Preston’s Pride and maintain its appearance going forward. The team is working on the interior and is working to return a few of the aircraft’s components, as well as finding a nearby building to keep it in.
A bond has been formed around this aircraft, and the team has already pledged its support to keep the aircraft maintained in the future. Team members traveled from the Carolinas, Indiana, Illinois, and Oregon to pitch in and do their part — very much reflective of the generation that originally built the B-17.