Max J. Knox loved to fly and even circled his formation of B-17 bombers over Murfreesboro twice en route to England in 1942. His B-17 bomber, "Hellzapoppin,"; appeared in Life magazine after it limped home badly damaged from a raid over France. While ferrying a general to North Africa, Knox's plane was lost during a storm over the Meditteranean Sea in November 1942.