Europe's last B-17 plane cleared to fly again from Duxford

Europe's last B-17 is named after plane operator Elly Sallingboe, who has dedicated her life to keeping the spirit of the Sally B alive

After being grounded in May, the last B-17 aircraft in Europe will fly again.

The bomber most famously used in World War Two was prevented from flying after a safety issue was discovered with a wing.

Based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire, the B-17, named Sally B, bought as a restoration project by Ted White.

"I was absolutely delighted, I could have cried," said the plane's operator Elly Sallingboe after it was granted approval to fly again.

The B-17 was used on bombing raids over Germany during the 1939-45 conflict - with many US air bases set up across Britain, particularly in East Anglia and Lincolnshire.

Along with the Sally B at Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford, only three other airworthy B-17s still exist and they are in the US.

After the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found a safety fault in the wings of the American-based planes, the IWM took the decision to ground the Sally B and have it inspected by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The team behind the plane announced they had been working "flat out" to carry out the difficult task.

Aircraft inspector Mark Lawler warns the plane may have hidden structural faults due to its age

Sally B, which featured in the 1990 movie Memphis Belle, will fly once again at the Duxford Summer Air Show on 24 and 25 June

Mark Lawler from Kearsley Airways carried out the inspection - it is his job to find the faults.

He said: "You've got to bear in mind this has been flying for many, many years and there may be cracks that are hidden that you can't see."

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Steve Carter, deputy chief engineer for the B-17, said it grounding had been "terrible timing" as they were getting the plane ready for the busy summer months.

He said: "We were on the cusp of ready to go flying, so we got the aeroplane ready, got her outside, ran her up and literally the week before we were supposed to go flying the AD [Airworthiness Directive] was issued."

Deputy Chief Engineer Steve Carter was disappointed when the airworthiness directive was issued in May as the plane was being prepared to be flown

According to the Sally B website, the plane was named after Elly Sallingboe "in the bold and colourful tradition of American-style wartime nose art".

Mr White was killed in a T-6 plane crash in Malta in 1982.

While tests were being carried out, Ms Sallingboe said: "We are all very nervous in anticipation of what he's going to say, because either it is grounded for two years or it flies in a few weeks."

Luckily, no cracks were found during the inspection and it was confirmed that the B-17, also known by the nickname Flying Fortress, could return to service.

"Our aircraft is in an outstanding condition for her age," said Ms Sallingboe.

The B-17 is now named after Elly Sallingboe, whose partner Ted White brought the bomber over from France in 1975

Ms Sallingboe added: "I was absolutely delighted when we received the news; I could have cried and actually did.

"It has been an incredibly hard time for us as we not only had to fix the aircraft, but we also lost a third of our booked air shows by having it grounded.

"We cannot carry passengers on the B-17, so our only income comes from air shows and donations from the public."

After test flying and crew training on Friday, Sally B was due to make a public appearance at the Duxford Summer Air Show on Saturday, 24 and Sunday, 25 June.

The team is also in the process of raising funds to cover the cost of repair work.

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