On a Sunday afternoon 26 years ago, seven B-17 bombers — the largest formation of Flying Fortresses since World War II — rumbled low over the Mississippi River. As they approached Mud Island, one plane’s bomb-bay doors opened, dropping thousands of rose petals onto the crowds below. The flyover was a salute to the most famous B-17 of them all — arguably the most famous airplane of World War II — the Memphis Belle, which had moved into a new pavilion on Mud Island. The date was May 17, 1987, and the theme of this event was “The Memphis Belle: Home at Last.” Well, not quite.
Although the white vinyl canopy stretched over a dome of steel beams offered the best environment for the aging warplane in almost half a century, it still didn’t fully protect it from the elements. And over the next dozen years, various groups — the Memphis Belle Memorial Association, which had worked so hard to restore and maintain the plane; the Memphis Park Commission, which operated Mud Island; and officials with the U.S. Air Force — fought over what, and where, the best home for this historic warplane should be.
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