Model 299
9,587Pictured: The waist blister turret of prototype bomber XB-17, which was not adopted in the final design of the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Armed to the teeth, journalists remarked that it looked like a "Flying Fortress."
The Boeing Model 299 was a prototype for the B-17 Flying Fortress, a bomber widely used by the U.S Army Air Corps during World War II. The plane was an astonishing gamble built entirely at the company's expense. While the Army Air Corps had requested proposals for a mere twin-engine bomber, Boeing came to them with a total of four, blasting 750 horsepower each.
And the plane was massive - the largest land-based airplane built at that time. As soon as it was revealed to the press, a journalist nicknamed it "The Flying Fortress," thanks to the distinct gun mount on the nose and the defensive machine guns placed along the fuselage.
The bomber outperformed other prototypes that competed against it for the government contract. Air Corps officials were thrilled with it, despite its hefty production price. It was practically a fact that Model 299 would be the winning proposal.
However, this extraordinary prototype was destroyed during an evaluation flight, which resulted in the loss of the test flight pilot and a Boeing employee. Because of the incident, Model 299 was disqualified from the competition. The fate of Boeing and the plans for what would become one of the most famous airplanes in the world nearly stalled with it.
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