What are the chances of bumping into a B-17?
 

So I call home last Friday, and ask if my wife and daughter want to go have lunch at Lana's Cafe, a great little airport restaraunt in Hoquium, out by the Pacific coast.

"Sure! Meet you at the airport."

So what do I see when we get close? A B-24 and a B-17 sitting on the ramp!

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That's the nose of my little Bonanza in the foreground.
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Pretty cool to see them take off while having a burger.

Just a couple more-
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There's something about those old planes you just don't see in the newer models. I can't place my finger on it.

We landed at Niagara Falls airport a few years back. Taxi'ed up to find a B-17 there giving rides. Know the feeling and it really surprised us as well.

Both planes belong to theCollings foundation. There located right down the street from me. Up untill a few years ago the planes used to fly over a few times a year. Now they will do it once, if were lucky.

Kinda' like older Porsches. Yep, they're older but they're just so. . . awesome! The new ones might be shinier and prettier and have funkier gadgets and ding-dongs, but there's just something about a big ol' radial. Especially several of 'em!

Loose parts?:D

Just for that Lendaddy, next time our paths cross your arse is going to go up for an "old" airplane ride whether you cry again like a little girl or not! :D

At the last "Thunder Over Michigan" there were 8 out of the worlds 11 remaining B-17s flying. This year they'll have a Lancaster as well.
August 5 and 6 in at Willow Run airport, SE Mich, where the B24 Liberators were made.

Other highlights:
1. small WW2 beanfield battle recreation, a flame thrower demo (think singed eyebrows from 70 yards), and a good-sized amount of misc paraphenillia/vehicles
2. Chinese Mig17 buzzing the runway at 100 somthing feet on afterburner
3. tons of P51s, a bF109, A-6s, Oscar deuces, Corsairs, etc, etc..
4. Standing in front of 8 4-engined B-17s all doing brake check runups and feeling the wind change direction in a hurry
Amazing.
5. A hundred people escaping the hot sun under the shadow of a B52.
6. The fist-sized barrel of the A-10

Many of the privately owned B-17s give rides for around $500 and need the money. Do a search for local shows.

What makes these older planes different is that they were flown by American warriors.

I will definitely cry:D In all seriousness, I could easily force myself to do it, but I will NOT enjoy it. One bad fyling experience and I'm now ruined. I'm logical enough to know the fear is irrational but that doesn't make it any less intense. So I will fly whenever it makes logistic sense.....I will NEVER fly for entertainment.:)

My Uncle, Gordon Donkin, got a LOT closer to B-17's than he wanted to, as a driver of one. But that was back in the 40's. Once home? The ONLY way he boarded an aircraft again was in order to visit his older sister, living in Australia. That was back in the early 1970's. He did talk fondly of being invited to a cockpit during that trip. :)

Those planes tour the country. Not too long ago, they were here at LGB for a couple of days. I live under the flight pattern and listen to jets and small aircraft from 7 AM to 10 PM 7 DAW. When the antiques (or the C-17 for that matter) take off, I hear the difference and look up. Some great stuff comes in here occasionally. Because of Boeing, I have seen the entire lineup from fighters to the B1. That's one loud mutha.

Amazing that thousands were built and only a few remain.

No kidding! NOTf like the early Porsche models, where more than made remain..

Too bad you had a bad experience...here's a great one I had last year....

http://home.comcast.net/~rscoats/aer.../sDSC03422.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~rscoats/aeroshell/

Talk about thousands of units being built and few remaining, how about a Messerschmitt BF 109 with the original DB 605 still in. If I am not mistaken, the 109 was the single most numerous plane of WW2. Go find one today. Then of those, how many with the original supercharged Benz plant that still works. Along with the single Dora Focke Wulf, they are literally impossible to determine prices for. A few years ago, Black 6, the only airworthy one at the time, crashed when landing on grass whose underlying dirt was too soft. It is still being rebuilt. But I just found this file the other day. It seems that there are two airworthy DB 605 Gustavs out right now. The only two in the world. Turn up the volume and enjoy this vid. There is nothing like that unmistakable supercharged 109 sound.
http://www.flyingmachines.tv/page1/files/109.wmv
As to Black six:
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/bf109g2.html

I can get down with that. See my thread about trains. ;)

Another rare WWII plane is the Lancaster bomber. There are only 2 left today that fly. One in England, and the other one in Hamilton Ontario which is in a museum where the planes are flown regularly.

It's amazing how so many planes just became scrap metal. We are not talking about frigates, schooners, and clipper ships here. These are vehicles who were piloted by some guys who are still around like Gunther Rall. Strange that only twenty years after the war there was already nothing left. I guess people need beer cans a lot more than they need moskitos, gustavs and spitfires. But nonetheless, in all that need for aluminum, it's inconceivable that a substantial number of people did not show up and say, "man, that is just too nice to turn into scrap!"

Ed,

Black 6 is looking mighty fine...at least it was on Sunday when I saw it at the RAF Museum in Hendon (will post a pic later)...restored back to airworthy standards (but not flown) after it was stood on its nose..off airfield..The pilot was unable to land (in his view) safely on the airfield so picked it bakc up over the M11 motorway and used the field on the other side (which was originally part of the aerodrome).. however that part is now argicultural land and not really suited for aircraft use...still it survived and was repaired...

BTW there's another fully original 109 at Hendon, one that was 'captured' after it made an emergency landing in the UK in 1940...restored and flown during WW2 and then used as an exhibit since then.

It's the sound. They usually come through town once a year for a show and weekend of rides. It's an engine sound that once heard will never, ever be forgotten...they are an airborne mechanical symphony.

Gives me gooseflesh everytime...

I wonder what it costs per year to keep those guys running.

I like to think even a jaded person would pause a second before plunging a sawzall into a Spitfire

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Black 6 and 'friend' at the Royal Air Force Museum...

And some guys did care enough to keep them from the scrap man....

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Hurricanes! The true hero of the Battle of Britain! By far the largest number of German planes shot down during that period were by the Hurricane. But the lovely Spitfire was given the publicity and hero worship that continues to this day.

Yup,

That's the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight....for the Queen's Official Birthday Flypast.

The Lanc leads two Spits including the MkIIa, the oldest flying Spit and two Hurricanes.

The higher profile of the Spit is a PR success as the Hurricane out- numbered the Spit during the B of B and had a better exchange ratio than the Spit..ubt its not as sexy and was retired before the end of WW2 whilst the Spit carried on well beyond.

It is only in the recent past that more Hurricanes have been restored to airworthiness as the restoration cost is in the order of twice that of a Spit.. because of all the wood work needed to renovate the airframe...to say nothing of the relative scarcity of the two airframes.

The RAF is the operator/ maintainer and funder of the BBMF, so its not enitrely surprising that they have retained a heritage flight as it were..

I like the 17..... but man I really dig the B-24's....

I like the 17..... but man I really dig the B-24's....

2nd!

Could carry more, fly higher and faster.

Other than being better looking, the Spit was clearly a better design. That's why all the worship happened.

Similar comments could be made about the B17 vs B24, the latter being higher prod numbers and AFAIK higher mission numbers than the B17.

Plane with biggest "wow" factor were the heavily modded B25's with the 8+ 50's and the recoiless 75mm cannon.

Peter, I "2nd" that comment on the B-25 as well. Biggest "Wow" factor would be the fact that you could take off in one of those from aircraft carrier! Absolutely amazing.

take care,

joe.

That one of the glass nose B25's. I think that round about "J" they actually had a solid nose with 8x .50's plus the 4pack on the fuselage. The G had 4 50's and the 75 mm out the front. It was insane.

Here's a pic of my dad on the right, the short guy. He was a belly gunner on a B-24.....stationed in Italy (Foja?) sp......459 Bomb Group....flying over the Alps into Germany....about 36 missions....shot down twice. Pretty rough job from what he told me.

Note to turbo/supercharger lovers: Notice the two large (what I believe to be) intercoolers on either side of the motor!

reorienting photo.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1151601619.jpg

John,
You're dad's probably a great guy, but that picture is dangerous

Ok, can't help it, way too proud not to post pics. In first pic that is my G-pa on left. He was shot down on 7/29/44 piloting a B-24 over Ludwigshaven. The second pic is REALLY cool. When Patton liberated the POWs near Moosberg on 4/25/45 he ordered the Nazi Flag pulled off city hall (and Old Glory flown in it's place) and taken to the POW camp where the POWs were asked to sign it! My Grandfather was ranking officer and wrote inscription at the top speaking of Patton liberating them etc. He is now interred at West Point. I miss him.



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The flag is being sent to the 8th AF Museum in Savannah. Also, I have it extra large photo size so you can read all the names if anybody knows anyone that was a POW at Stalags III, IV, and VII and may want to see it.

Hey! they stopped off at my home airport!

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One for the boost fans-

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I'd say building a B-17 is more labor intensive than hanging a fender on a 911.

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Small technical correction:
The cannon carrying B25s did not have a recoiless 75mm. They did have a 75mm that damn near stopped the plane everytime if fired. Recoiless normally means a rocket propelled gun. Think of a bazooka or LAW and remember the backblast. The backblast would have nowhere to go in a B25!
Sorry, I know I can nitpick!

An 88mm is a dang big enough artillery piece. Watch the recoil on those.