"B-17G All Weather" frame

The B-17G ‘All Weather Flying Centre’ is a unique version of the famous American bomber, converted after the Second World War for meteorological research missions.

The All Weather Flying Centre (AWFC) was a relatively little-known American unit, active just after the war, whose mission was to study and fly in all weather conditions, hence its name. Based in Ohio, the centre conducted experimental flights into the heart of storms to better understand extreme atmospheric phenomena.

Transformed into a veritable flying laboratory, the AWFC's B-17G was equipped with special instruments, radars and sensors designed to measure turbulence, humidity and electric fields. This model is a symbol of the transition from war to science, marking the beginnings of modern aviation meteorology.