Fuddy Duddy was for many years based at the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York. The National Warplane Museum hosted the highly rated annual Wings of Eagles airshow. A split developed in the membership, with one group wanting to move to a modern airport and grow, while another group wanted to stick to the roots of aviation and stay at the grass strip in Geneseo. With a two-thirds vote, the National Warplane Museum moved to Elmira-Corning, while the remaining members formed the 1941 Historic Air Group in Geneseo. While it hurt the Geneseo group to lose their star attraction, Fuddy Duddy, they continued to put on a world class warbird airshow each year.
Fuddy Duddy was built too late to see action in WWII. She was retired in the mid-50's, and changed hands a few times until be purchased by Columbia Pictures in 1960. After a short movie career, Fuddy Duddy was converted to air tanker service. She flew as an air tanker until 1986, which she was acquired by the National Warplane Museum and converted back to her warbird look. The museum has continued to restore and improve Fuddy Duddy over the years, and she is one of the finest looking B-17s in the air today.
News flash—Fuddy Duddy has been sold to California-based Martin Aviation. The National Warplane Museum has not taken in the gate money it had expected, and its debts grew to over $3.1-million. The sale of Fuddy Duddy, while sad, wiped clean the museum's debt. The museum came close to selling Fuddy Duddy once before, but a $1-million grant saved the day. Martin Aviation operates other WWII aircraft including a B-25. They expect to visit a few airshows in the southwest in 2006, but not do the nationwide tours that Fuddy Duddy has been doing for the past several years.