Quote:
Originally Posted by GH85Carrera
Hundreds of B-17 Flying Fortresses awaiting the scrap heap, 1946. |
A decade or two ago I sat in front of a long line of 11 of 13 remaining B-17s doing a run-up at Thunder Over Michigan.
That steady eastern wind on that entire field suddenly shifted direction with the symphony of 44 engines in a row pushing 176 big propellers.
It was a sound and a experience I will never forget.
I volunteered over a summer and was humbled to be there. This was after the catastrophic hanger fire which destroyed many historic aircraft.
They have since changed the rules and have made attending the T.O.M. Event a chore for paying visitors.
My great uncle flew one and experienced failure over Germany last part of the war and spent the rest in a prison camp. He was among the US bombardiers who killed almost a million civilians right next to them. He was treated rather well to my understanding and had a successful career later on.
-The most-produced WW2 B-24 bombers were made 1-per-hour just east of Ypsilanti, MI at Willow Run airport.
-The Liberty Ships traveling across the unforgiving Atlantic, carry heavy cargo and troops, were made 1-per-day at peak in California.
(always pushing the ban envelope here. It is art.)
