upgraded to 4.11.1 and suddenly the B17 is an option in multiplayer?

[Luno13]

You can fly AI aircraft like the B-17 from external view only.

The way to do this is to edit the mission files and manually insert the AI planes into the home-base.

You can only fly them by selecting a regular airplane first, hitting Fly, ending that flight, then selecting the AI plane. It's fun but not practical as you can't see where you're going nor make use of the bomb-sight.