Just moments before Belle would have crashed, Morgan flipped her on her side and blasted through the gap - vertically. There was some space between the two buildings, but not enough to accommodate the 103-foot wingspan of the B-17. Nonetheless, when Morgan piloted Belle to an event in his hometown of Asheville, N.C., he brought the big bomber in low, barely skimming the roofs of downtown buildings and seemingly aiming for the city hall and courthouse. 'Hap' Arnold had given Morgan permission to fly the B-17 as low as he pleased during their tour, it's almost certain that the general hadn't meant for the bomber to buzz rooftops as she made her way across the nation. So the 'Belle' toured and made Americans proud. Unfortunately, some of her crew were killed completing her twenty-five missions and due to her name, 'Hells Angels', the powers in Washington decided that the 'Memphis Belle' would make a better impression and sell more bonds. That distinction goes to 'Hell's Angels'. The 'Memphis Belle' was NOT the first plane to accomplish this however.
