"CNN Story on Vintage WWII aircraft flyover" Topic

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Wow

I took a ride an hour long ride in that very B-17 about 3 years ago.

Some of the best $300 USD bucks I've spent. They let you go all over the aircraft, had a bomb site you could target house (twisted, but fun), full equipment with .50 MG's and such.

I took off in the radio oper postition. Very unique experience to smell the oil and fuel, feel the vibrations and hear the roar of the engines. You also get a good feeling of how crowded it is with 10 men aboard.

Only places you could not go were Tail and Ball gunner, and pilot seats.

That sounds like it would have been a great experience.

Also, that is the B-17 used in the Steve McQueen movie "The War Lover".

The one in the news story, or the one you flew in?

Both are the same.

The bomber in the story is the one I flew in and it was also used in the movie.

That bomber used to be at the Warbirds Museum, Finger Lakes region of New York. That's where I got my ride. I turned on my movie camera during the ride. Even if I wasn't looking through the camera, I just let it keep filming as I didn't want to miss ANY of this ride.

The museum had great warbirds shows, but made some very bad choices and went into large debt over a three year period.

They had to sell their B-17 (the crown jewel of the museum) to cover 3 or 4 million in debts. That was about 2 years ago.

My time line might be off by a year or so. Time seems to run together more as you get older.

I took shelter under the wing of a B-17 during a rainstorm at an air show. I thought that was quite symbolic.
It later did a fun "attack" on the landing strip, with another B-17 and a P-51.

Its in the markings of the 447th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force. There are several other B-17's flying around that have markings from that unit as well. A friend of mine, Murray Codman, was a turret gunner on a B-17 in that group. He won the DFC along with five Air Medals and a Presidential Citation. I'll have to find him to let him know about this story.

Wyatt

Fantastic video. Did the original bombers really have the wooden doors and planked floor? I'm thinking not.

Wyatt, it wasn't the group markings that made it the same bomber, it is the name "Fuddy Duddy" with Elmer Fudd on the side.

That's the aircraft, no doubt about it. I've got a picture of it on the wall of my game room.

As to the original bombers what they had and didn't have, I'm not sure. They had to make some mods for FAA regs. My favorite was the safety briefing before we took off showing where the exits were. Like a 737, except the outline was a B-17 showing all the hatches and where you should go if it went down.

Gave me a feeling that if something happened, I was riding it in.

From my understanding there are only 10 flying B-17's left in the US. There is a group based in Massachusetts that flys all over the country with a B-17 and B-24. I've never been in those aircraft, but would like to take a ride in the B-24. Somehow I don't think it will be $300 USD bucks with the cost of fuel these days.

@Macaroni

They did have wood floors & doors

jdg

The Mid Atlantic Air Show in Reading, Pennsylvania usually has several bombers (a B-17, B-24, B-29 and sometimes a Lancaster) plus many other WW II aircraft. They make fly overs and land for review and inspection by the crowds.

This a great show for anyone who can make it. I believe that it will be held June 6, 7, and 8 this year.

I took the tour of the interior of "Fuddy Duddy" some years back during the Dayton Airshow. I Didn't leave the ground unfortunately, but well worth the effort to go through. The thing that sticks in my memory the most, was haw little space there is to get around the ball turret mechanism, while going aft from the cockpit area. I wasn't even wearing flight gear and a parachute.

Thats EXACTLY the biggest impression I was left with when doing the same sort of internal tour of Sally B at Duxford.