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Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

World War II Bomber Gas Station

Thursday, 21st September 2006 by Alex

In 1947 a guy named Art Lacey decided he wanted to buy a surplus B-17G “Flying Fortress” WWII bomber, and with little prior experience, fly the plane from Kansas back to Milwaukie, Oregon.

After an incredible (and highly improbable) sounding journey, Mr Lacey used his new purchase… as a forecourt roof for his gas station.

bombergasstation.jpg

Today the gas station has made way for the family-run Bomber Drive-In restaurant which still operates here, and these days the bomber is one of only a handful of this type of aircraft left intact in the world.

Thanks to Nathaniel.

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(3 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
Locations: Oregon / Categories: , ,

3 Responses to 'World War II Bomber Gas Station'

  1. 1. rob says: September 21st, 2006 at 11:57 pm

    Utterly, utterly ridiculous.

  2. 2. Randal L. Schwartz says: September 22nd, 2006 at 1:52 am

    Hey, my dad is (was?) good friends with Art Lacey. I’ve even gotten to climb up in “the bomber” when I was very little (some 35-ish years ago). I also recall when I was small that “The Bomber” used to be located about a mile down the road, and it was a huge deal when it was moved.

  3. 3. Lurker says: September 22nd, 2006 at 3:20 am

    Cool!

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