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Posted: 7/18/2008 9:38:32 AM EDT
[#1]
I love them.
It's amazing the beating some of then took and still brought crews home. Imagine seeing hundreds overhead for a Big Raid. Hard to visualiz3e now with just a handful operational. A couple nights ago I popped in "12 O'Clock High" to review the Frank Savage School of Leadership. At the beginning a B-17 bellies in. This was not a model, and long before CGI was dreamed of. They crashed a real B-17 for that shot. It almost makes you want to cry now. |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 9:42:27 AM EDT
[#2]
The same B-17 just left the town I work in, Beatrice NE, they were here for about a week. We even serviced ther truck at our shop. I believe for $425 you can go on a 20 min ride
Norris |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 9:42:31 AM EDT
[#3]
At the USAF Museum there's a picture of dozens in a field, waiting to be destroyed because we didn't want to bring them back to the states. 
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Posted: 7/18/2008 9:48:41 AM EDT
[#4]
I was lucky enough to get a (free) ride in the Colling's Foundation's "Nine-O-Nine".
A ride I'll never forget... 
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:00:20 AM EDT
[#5]
Stephen Ambose wrote a book called The Wild Blue . It's about the B-24 crews of the 15th AF. One of the characters in the book is George McGovern, who was a pilot. There is a story of McGovern and his wife going to a movie after he came home from the war. In a short before the feature there was film of B-24s being scrapped. One was an airplane McGovern flew. He got pretty upset over it. I read somewhere that after the war you could buy a P-51 for $500. Talk about return on investment today. 
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:22:34 AM EDT
[#6]
That would be the "Sentimental Journey" you saw.
 I took a flight in EAA's "Aluminum Overcast" here in Sarasota several years ago. Thrilling doesn't come close to describing the experience  |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:32:20 AM EDT
[#7]
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:34:27 AM EDT
[#8]
The noise from those radial gas engines alone would have been deafening.
Artwork IMO Beautiful... |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:37:15 AM EDT
[#9]
Same plane was just here a couple weeks ago, never could afford a ride on it
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:38:21 AM EDT
[#10]
If you have 425.00 you can take a ride on it. |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 10:58:07 AM EDT
[#11]
I've been inside the Memphis Belle. Its a lot smaller inside than you would think.
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:01:58 AM EDT
[#12]
Wow, always been my dream to ride in one of those...
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:04:33 AM EDT
[#13]
No - you're just wider than you think.  Actually I was shocked at how cramped it is inside there, just getting INTO the plane was an exercise in contortionism. And that catwalk between the bombs was probably no wider than 6 inches. 
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:12:27 AM EDT
[#14]
just to think of the men that flew in those bombers...freezing temps ..50s blazzin..FW190s screaming right at ya...GD they make me proud
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:13:04 AM EDT
[#15]
THese things could take a beating. When I was a kid my dad got the Time Life WW II books. THey had a pic of one that the cockpit was shot to hell, completely open to the elements but made it back.
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:14:26 AM EDT
[#16]
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:15:56 AM EDT
[#17]
My dad was a radioman on a B-25 flying over the Hump. His hearing was always for shit for as long as I can remember... don't know if it was the WWII planes, or the years in interceptor squadrons in Germany after the War. Just as a tidbit, he joined the Flying Tigers after high school. He then transitioned to the Army Air Corps until they became the Air Force, and served until 1969. I guess nearly 30 years around planes is gonna leave a mark 
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:15:57 AM EDT
[#18]
Some good pics here.www.daveswarbirds.com/b-17/fuselage.htm
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:16:08 AM EDT
[#19]
Fixtit.  They used to have a big airshow every year here in St. Louis County where they would have a mock dogfight that featured WWII planes including a B-17. It was so cool! |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:23:07 AM EDT
[#20]
I just got finished reading that book. Good ending about the family in the farmhouse!  |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:23:16 AM EDT
[#21]
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Posted: 7/18/2008 11:45:12 AM EDT
[#22]
Cool. Whenever they stop at Mt. Comfort, they end up flying over my house. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for it. |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 12:53:08 PM EDT
[#23]
They couldn't pay me enough........ 
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Posted: 7/18/2008 2:57:05 PM EDT
[#24]
Engineers are great at designing things for "other people" to use. After watching the C-130 Credible Sport video I came to the opinion that when an engineer designs something he should go along on the test ride. For those who don't know, it was an idea to mount JATO bottles backwards on the forward fuselage of a C-130 to make it stop super short. The result was a broken, burning airplane. |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 3:59:14 PM EDT
[#25]
Sentimental Journey is based a mile away. I'm in the flight path.
 I didn't realize she was gone. Barbie III is there, also. |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 5:49:47 PM EDT
[#26]
Pics! I have more, just don't have time to post all of them tonight.
Oh, I want to take a ride soooooo bad. I'm going to see it on Sunday. It'll be the 4th time in a B-17!     More tomorrow! |
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Posted: 7/18/2008 6:08:40 PM EDT
[#27]
And from what I understand the ball turret gunner had to climb in there before they take off, and can't get out till after they land. Tuff son of a bitches.
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Posted: 7/19/2008 1:32:46 PM EDT
[#28]
More:
       
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Posted: 7/19/2008 3:13:42 PM EDT
[#29]
About ten years ago I was sitting on the dam of our little stock tank fishing after watching football on a Sunday afternoon. Off in the distance I hear the sound of a round motor aircraft. Coming straight at me is a lone B-17, flying low and slow. They are low enough I get a wing waggle when I wave at them. I thought that was pretty cool.
About a minute after they pass I see six or seven more shapes trailing the B-17 and closing fast. It was part of the CAF's Tora group. That was one of the most surreal scenes I have ever seen. A slow moving B-17 being chased down by Japanese marked aircraft. unreal.
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Posted: 7/19/2008 3:21:33 PM EDT
[#30]
I rode in Aluminum Overcast when it stopped in Lebanon TN a few years ago.
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Posted: 7/19/2008 3:31:50 PM EDT
[#31]
Here's one of them when they were in Dallas.
 My Grandfather was a bombardier in one kickin Hitlers ass. He became a member of The Bastard Club, they got this cause they flew with so much weight in bombs they couldn't load the gun positions. At least thats what I was told.  This is a famous pic taken from his plane.  |
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Posted: 7/20/2008 3:37:05 PM EDT
[#33]
Went and saw it today!
  In one of the hangers.  Who's that in the nose? ;)  Yep, my sister and I took a ride in it. :D  Big smiles after.  Takeoff from the nose: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j4NPFpw4jM My sister took a lot more pics and videos during the flight, so I'll get those up on the next few days. Cheers! |
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Posted: 7/20/2008 3:49:29 PM EDT
[#34]
The ride is tax deductible, if that helps. I got to ride in a B-24 on 4th of July, pretty cool experience. Good to see these old vets still flying. |
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Posted: 7/20/2008 4:56:59 PM EDT
[#35]
btt
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Posted: 7/20/2008 8:17:22 PM EDT
[#36]
 |
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Posted: 7/21/2008 1:22:51 PM EDT
[#37]
btt
More pics and videos either tomorrow or in a few days. 
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Posted: 7/22/2008 6:38:51 PM EDT
[#38]
Last of the pics. Videos later, sis is having a hard time getting them up.
 Lookin' like a tard, but a happy tard.  .50 goodness   Startup!   "Bandits, 8 o'clock high. Take 'em out, left waist!"  Lookin' back towards the tail gear and tail gunner.   Takeoff was very loud, but it didn't hurt the ears. A low rumble. I was trying to tell sis something during take off and she still couldn't hear me when I was yelling. On the ground when the engines were running the tarmac was vibrating under everyone's feet. Awesome. |
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