B-17 Alliance Foundation

They’ve been rightfully called "The Greatest Generation." They are the 16 million Americans who fought in World War II and built the country we enjoy today. Sadly, that legacy is disappearing. Fewer than 800,000 World War II veterans are still alive; within 20 years, there will be no veterans left to tell their stories.

The B-17 Alliance Foundation was formed to keep that legacy alive. We are restoring the B-17 Lacey Lady to airworthy condition and building a destination museum that documents the personal histories of our World War II veterans. These are ambitious goals. Few B-17s remain in existence and only a handful of those are airworthy.

While the Lacey Lady is the most visible aspect of this project, the real story is about people: we are preserving the memory of our World War II heroes for future generations. It has cost more than $500,000 to restore the nose section, build a temporary museum and library, and move the aircraft to a climate-controlled hangar at McNary Field where restoration continues. Our funding has come primarily from private donors, but our efforts would not have been successful without volunteer support. Engineers, machinists, mechanics, and aviation enthusiasts have donated thousands of hours and dollars to help make our vision a reality.

With careful stewardship, we have accomplished many of our goals, but we need your help. An estimated $9 million will be needed to complete restoration and fully open the museum. Your tax-deductible donation will keep an important piece of history from fading away.