Got to climb aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress yesterday!

[JulesMaximus]

Sorry, no pics...I actually forgot my camera.

My wife took my son and his friend out to Palm Springs on Friday and I drove out to meet them Friday evening. My wife's Father owns a nice house in Rancho Mirage that he lets the family use during the off season when he's not renting it so we go out there a couple times a year.

Anyway, on Saturday I took my son and his friend to the Air Museum there and found out that they have an actual B-17 in one of the hangers there and you can actually climb aboard and tour the aircraft. I've seen some cool movies and a ton of historical footage on this incredible aircraft so I jumped at the chance to climb aboard and check it out.

I saw the cockpit, the nose turret where the bombardier sighted in the target and released the bombs, I sat in the radioman's seat just aft of the wings, the ball turret and the guns mounted amid ships along with the tail gunner. Very very cool.

I'm definitely going back to see this airplane again. Hopefully the next time will be when it flies again since this is an actual serviceable and flyable original WWII B-17.

Next time I'll bring along a camera.

 

[coxmaster]

B-17s are incredible machines. I would absolutely love to fly in (or fly..) one sometime.

Hell, WWII era planes in general are incredible. I had the opportunity to fly an open cockpit trainer from WWII this summer, definitely an incredible feeling compared to a normal small plane

 

[JulesMaximus]

B-17s are incredible machines. I would absolutely love to fly in (or fly..) one sometime.

Hell, WWII era planes in general are incredible. I had the opportunity to fly an open cockpit trainer from WWII this summer, definitely an incredible feeling compared to a normal small plane

I'd never even seen one in real life before so this was a visual treat for me. I'm kind of a geek for old or new military hardware...and I live in the land of military hardware so whenever I see a military museum of some sort I'm kind of intrigued by it.

I've been to March ARB where I've seen an SR-71 Blackbird (they also have a B-17 and a B-52 but you cannot get inside them), I've been to the USS Midway which is a floating museum in downtown San Diego, I've been to air shows at the now defunct El Toro Marine Corp Air Station and the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego.

It was just a great experience to be able to climb into such a historic aircraft and feel the controls, crawl though the spaces and imagine what it would have been like to go on an actual bombing run in one of these aircraft during wartime.

 

[Phoenix86]

It's an amazing plane, the ball turret isn't so bad, but the tail turret. SHHHEEEESSSSH. Just getting in there is extremely cramped.

 

[BoomerD]

Just about every year, the Confederate Air Force (now called the Commemorative Air Force) brings a B-17 here. IIRC, it's about $400 for a 30 minute ride...

http://commemorativeairforce.org/?page=cms/index&cms_page=1266

 

[mmntech]

Pretty awesome. I've been up close to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Avro Lancaster. You don't realize just how majestic these giant warbirds are until you see them in person. The Lanc they have is one of the few airworthy ones left. I think it's one of two. You can take a ride in it if you donate enough to the museum.

 

[PowerEngineer]

It amazing how small those WWII 'heavy' bombers are inside. I had a chance to climb through a B-17 recently at the Evergreen Air Museum.

http://www.sprucegoose.org/

The y have alot of neat aircraft (besides the Spruce Goose), more than are shown on their website! They also have some old Russian armour, including a couple of T-34's.

Oddly, visitors to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field can only see the Boeing B-47; the other Boeing bombers that they 'have in their collection' aren't on display (including a B-17, B-29, and B-52).

http://www.museumofflight.org/

And if you ever want to see where some of the Microsoft money went, don't miss a chance to visit the 'Flying Heritage Collection'. Notably, their aircraft are restored to flying condition and there are scheduled flights.

http://www.flyingheritage.com/TemplateHome.aspx?contentId=1

They have a long-nose Fw190 that made me go weak in the knees when I first realized what it was (too bad they don't fly that one!).

 

[JulesMaximus]

It amazing how small those WWII 'heavy' bombers are inside. I had a chance to climb through a B-17 recently at the Evergreen Air Museum.

http://www.sprucegoose.org/

The y have alot of neat aircraft (besides the Spruce Goose), more than are shown on their website! They also have some old Russian armour, including a couple of T-34's.

Oddly, visitors to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field can only see the Boeing B-47; the other Boeing bombers that they 'have in their collection' aren't on display (including a B-17, B-29, and B-52).

http://www.museumofflight.org/

And if you ever want to see where some of the Microsoft money went, don't miss a chance to visit the 'Flying Heritage Collection'. Notably, their aircraft are restored to flying condition and there are scheduled flights.

http://www.flyingheritage.com/TemplateHome.aspx?contentId=1

They have a long-nose Fw190 that made me go weak in the knees when I first realized what it was (too bad they don't fly that one!).

Regarding your first link, I've been inside the Spruce Goose when it was in Long Beach.

Ironically, there was an interesting program about Howard Hughes on NatGeo today.

 

[foghorn67]

Smaller inside than what the pictures appear to be huh?

 

[preslove]

It's crazy how small the bomb bay is. That big ass plane for a couple of cubic feet of bombs.

 

[Malak]

Having grown up in the Air Force I've been in the cockpits of every cool plane I can think of. A-10 was always a favorite, but the only play that was really jaw-dropping was when I first saw a C-5. 40 years later and it is still deserving of the name Galaxy.

 

[santz]

dude no camera. = instant ;facepalm;

 

[dawp]

If I remember right, EAA does offer rides in their B-17 during the fly-in at Oshkosh, WI. It's called AirVenture and It's held between the end of July and the beginning of August.

http://www.airventure.org/

yup, they do:

http://www.airventure.org/attractions/airplane_rides.html

a bit expensive tho, $400 for non members. the ford tri-motor is more reasonable, $55

My dad flew on B-17s and B-29s at the end of the war. I believe he was a radio operator or navigator. his station was near the top turret.

 

[Reel]

This is an article about a B-17 mission my great uncle was on:
http://www.398th.org/History/Articles/Remembrances/Ostrom_ShadyLady.html

 

[JulesMaximus]

If I remember right, EAA does offer rides in their B-17 during the fly-in at Oshkosh, WI. It's called AirVenture and It's held between the end of July and the beginning of August.

http://www.airventure.org/

yup, they do:

http://www.airventure.org/attractions/airplane_rides.html

a bit expensive tho, $400 for non members. the ford tri-motor is more reasonable, $55

My dad flew on B-17s and B-29s at the end of the war. I believe he was a radio operator or navigator. his station was near the top turret.

They said it takes months to prep the plane for flight and to get it ready for certification by the FAA then you have to find a pilot who is rated to fly one of these planes. The one I walked through hasn't flown in a few years and it never saw combat (it was completed in 1945).

 

[dawp]

They said it takes months to prep the plane for flight and to get it ready for certification by the FAA then you have to find a pilot who is rated to fly one of these planes. The one I walked through hasn't flown in a few years and it never saw combat (it was completed in 1945).

EAA flys theirs pretty frequently. I think the cost is to help maintain it and for fuel. They will fly it during Air Venture every year.

 

[Blunc]

an interesting tidbit, the nose art on the B17 known as Sentimental Journey had to be repainted because the years of washing and buffing the plane had worn through the original nose art. there is also a rumor that Betty Grable's swim suit was really yellow...not blue.

 

[drebo]

Castle Airforce Base has these sometimes. Used to go to car shows there, and they'd have all kinds of old planes. Actually got to go in one of the Flying Fortresses, a B-52, and a Blackbird on the same day. Both were awesomely cool.

 

[dawp]

Castle Airforce Base has these sometimes. Used to go to car shows there, and they'd have all kinds of old planes. Actually got to go in one of the Flying Fortresses, a B-52, and a Blackbird on the same day. Both were awesomely cool.

the way you worded that, a b-52 is not a flying fortress, It's a stratofortress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Fortress

 

[Gibsons]

They said it takes months to prep the plane for flight and to get it ready for certification by the FAA then you have to find a pilot who is rated to fly one of these planes. The one I walked through hasn't flown in a few years and it never saw combat (it was completed in 1945).

Makes sense. Piston engines can require a lot maintenance. Add in that it's an old engine design that's not made any more, then multiply by four.

 

[TheStu]

I went in one when I was younger, just awesome. My dad and I went to Wright Patterson AFB a couple years later, saw everything! Older presidential planes, the YF-12, the only remaining Valkyrie, a YF22, F117, B17, B34, and the B36. All kinds of experimental aircraft, man that place is great.

 

[marvdmartian]

My buddy's (late) dad was a top turret gunner on a B-17. He shouldn't have been, since (the way he explained it) they didn't want anyone over 6' tall as a crew member, and Mack was 3" taller than that.....but he said he slouched, and they were hard enough up for B-17 crews that they let him slide through.

His plane was shot down over France, and he was captured by a German patrol before the French resistance fighters could sneak him away. Spent 2-1/2 years in Stalag 17, and had nightmares about that time of his life until the day he died.

He told me the navigator saved his life, though, when they were told to ditch. Mack told me he got so nervous, he pulled his D ring while he was still in the plane! Said as soon as he did it, he knew he'd screwed up royally, and was pretty much dead meat. He said the navigator saw what he did, hollered at him to take off his chute, and went up to the dead co-pilot's body (whose head had pretty much been blown off by a German fighter shell), and took the parachute off the co-pilot's body, then went and put it on Mack. He told Mack to NOT PULL THE D-RING UNTIL YOU'RE CLEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT!!!, then pushed him out the door, and followed along right after. Lucky fellow, I guess!!

 

[drebo]

the way you worded that, a b-52 is not a flying fortress, It's a stratofortress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-52_Stratofortress

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Fortress

Yeah, I meant to say "All were awesome" in the last sentence.

It's a message board. I don't proofread.

 

[lupi]

I flew in a b-25 once, and while it doesn't have the ball turret I did go into the front turret/bombadier spot and the rear turret...and let me tell you it's a scary place to be. The tail gunner in particularly can make you woozy as you as sitting there and actually must look a bit forward to see the tail fins of the plane, except for the bit of plastic covering it's like you're floating in space.

 

[Homerboy]

Jules how can you go to an air museum (or any musem fo that matter) without a camera?

Come on man!