Memphis Belle unveiling a boon for museum

The unveiling of the iconic B-17 Memphis Belle brought more than 42,000 people to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force from around the country and overseas, nearly doubling attendance compared to the same period in recent years, figures show.

Museum officials received numerous phone calls, emails and inquiries, as well as had billboards, magazine ads and radio spots to push out the message. The numbers counted attendees between Wednesday through Sunday, totalling 42,554, or a 187 percent rise.

“It’s difficult to predict these things,” said John “Jack” Hudson, museum director and a retired three-star Air Force general. “You really just don’t know, but the huge numbers are just wonderful.”

The Memphis Belle was unveiled in an after hours private ceremony Wednesday, drawing 6,299 people for the day, or more than triple the typical number.

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On Thursday, the day of the public ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new exhibit that shows the plane taking off in mid-flight, the museum counted 11,066 people, a 289 percent increase compared to averages for the same date between 2015-17.

Friday recorded 9,556 people, a 307 percent increase and Saturday — the last day of Memphis Belle activities — counted 11,090 people, a 207 percent increase according to the museum. Sunday recorded 4,543 visitors, or about a 15 percent increase.

The outreach to tell the story about the opening of the new exhibit included a mostly privately funded advertising campaign of more than $96,000, which included seven local and seven billboards on highways in Ohio, Indiana and as far away as Memphis, Tenn., said Diana Bachert, a museum spokeswoman.

The Air Force museum’s gift shop set a one-day merchandise sales record Thursday, she added.

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Rain put a damper on some activities: The first scheduled landing Wednesday of World War II planes became a flyover instead — two B-17 bombers, a P-51 fighter and a PT-19 trainer did manage to land Thursday — and rain canceled a big band concert Friday.

“Weather is what it is and at the end of the day whatever we do here has to be done safely,” Hudson said.

The museum’s social media numbers also soared above four million over four days, he said.

After World War II, the Belle was brought to Memphis, Tenn., for an attempted restoration effort that fell short in dollars. In 2005, the World War II bomber was trucked to the museum in pieces for a restoration that led up to Thursday’s public ceremony, the 75th anniversary of the bomber’s final mission over Europe.

Based at RAF Bassingbourn, England, the Belle was the first Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over war torn Europe and return to the United States in 1943. The bomber with the pin-up swimsuit model gained fame through newspaper headlines, a more than 30-city war bond and morale boosting tour and two Hollywood films.

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