GAWD DAMN -B17 Flight

[pphilfran]

What an experience! They arrived a day late from Dallas so my trip was backed up to 5pm Thursday... Flew from Lawton to Waurika Lake and back...about 25 minutes of flight...we asked to be seated up front so we sat just behind he pilot....on the floor with 1940 seatbelt and buckles...loud, but not as bad as I would have thought...the interior wasn't made for comfort or my 6'4" body...once we were in the air we could walk around as we pleased...flight deck off limits...couldn't get in the bottom turret or tail gunner...like I would have fit...only midgets would squeeze into the bottom turret! The flight was short but it still allowed plenty of time to see all the features...we were maxed out at ten passengers, and three crew..

Due to weather, the ME 262 didn't make it....the B24 was grounded in Dallas due to pilot problems...(hmmmm)...so only the B17 and P51 made the trip....

They are in OKC this weekend and the way they talked the B24 should make it there...the jet only flies in perfect weather and they said it would not be in OKC ( don't hold me to this)...

It was a bargain flight for $425 (some is tax deductible) and should be on everyone's bucket list...if you can't spring for the bigger bucks it is also well worth the $12 to walk through the thing and see the Mustang...if you take the flight they wave the $12 fee....big hearted of them...

Here are some pics and crappy vids to give you a taste of the experience...

Enjoy!

[pphilfran]

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/IMG_1201_zpsc5cb60b0.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/IMG_1204_zpsaf3b6cb5.jpg

[pphilfran]

P51 ...it is the only two seater trainer in the world...for a couple of grand they will give you flight and do rolls and a loop...




http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/IMG_1213_zps487e473c.jpg

[pphilfran]

Some short videos...clic on them and they will play

Weird...it looks like a picture but is actually a video...clic and see the takeoff...I am sitting down and unable to see outside at this time...just holding the camera up over my head...


http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1246_zpsdb6a1b11.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1246_zpsdb6a1b11.mp4)

[pphilfran]

Looking out the top turret
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1247_zps3a6b969e.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1247_zps3a6b969e.mp4)

[pphilfran]

Norton Bombsight
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1248_zpsed8c9427.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1248_zpsed8c9427.mp4)

[pphilfran]

Looking out the sunroof...just a little wind...
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1252_zps6abf6c46.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1252_zps6abf6c46.mp4)

[pphilfran]

Side gunners
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1256_zps645675cf.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1256_zps645675cf.mp4)

[pphilfran]

Waurika...a little low...
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1258_zps8d7bb92a.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1258_zps8d7bb92a.mp4)

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/th_MVI_1259_zpsae7a5b7a.jpg (http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii187/pphilfran/MVI_1259_zpsae7a5b7a.mp4)

[Lott's Bandana]

Were you able to get a sense of what it would have been like, standing at that waist gun at 20k feet, wearing an O2 mask and having FW190's and Me109's aiming for your balls?
The opening for that position in the fuselage seems much bigger than I thought. No wonder those guys froze their asses off.

Thanks for sharing. One of my 5 favorite aircraft of all time.

[stoopified]

good stuff

[oudanny]

Thanks for sharing. My dad flew a P-51F in WW2 and my uncle was the ball turrent gunner in a B-24. Dad loved the P-51 even after flying F-84s and 86s.

[C&CDean]

Very cool. Awesome airplane the B-17. So many of them made it back shot all to hell with chunks missing, engines ablaze, etc. Amazing aircraft.

[sooneron]

Ummm

Friend of your's?
http://s264.photobucket.com/user/pphilfran/media/tt-1.jpg.html

:D

I love me some WWII aircraft!

[texaspokieokie]

we saw all of them @ love field. Went thru the b-17. was surprised that the 262 was there. Disappointed in p-51.
would rather have seen one with the "bubble canopy".

[Soonerjeepman]

my uncle flew b24's...maybe 26's at the end of WWII. Has pics of the blown up bridges in Germany. Made a book, sent it out. Think he trained in Enid.

Going to send the this link to my dad so he can send to my uncle. Hope that is ok.

[pphilfran]

Send them this link to the Collings foundation....lots of info, future schedule, and vids

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Wow! That Mustang must have been an early version, or they modified it to a razorback configuration to accommodate the second passenger. Most later versions were bubble canopy for better situational awareness.

[pphilfran]

Wow! That Mustang must have been an early version, or they modified it to a razorback configuration to accommodate the second passenger. Most later versions were bubble canopy for better situational awareness.

From the link...

The Collings Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of the world’s only dual control P-51C Mustang to our WWII aircraft collection. The P-51 is arguably the greatest fighter aircraft ever produced, certainly the most recognizable and legendary of the Second World War. Today there are less than five of the early B/C models left flying. The "C" model is easily recognizable by it's “razorback” configuration as opposed to the P-51D with its “bubble canopy” that came out later in the war.


During the war several of the razorback Mustangs were modified in the field to carry a passenger in a second cockpit just behind the pilot. These former fighter aircraft were used as a high speed transport and gave the Mustang pilot the ability to share the joy of flying the world’s greatest fighter with their trusted ground crews. One of the most famous of these modified two seat fighters was used by Dwight Eisenhower and was named “The Stars Look Down”. Ike rode in the back seat of that Mustang over the beaches of Normandy to direct the invasion during D-Day. Today you can fly in the famed Mustang just like Ike

[hawaii 5-0]

Thanks for the pics. My dad was in a B-17 group in WW II.


5-0

[StoopTroup]

We leased out a dock I used to work on to the USAF so they could work on the C-17s. Are the B-17s cool? You bet. Is a ride in one awesome? Definitely. Thing is....those C-17s we had next to our Dock were right next to us in the same Hangar. They would run them up right outside the hangar on our blast fence. I got to see some really great stuff when we had them next to us. When they would take off we got to see them and the National Guards Fighters. It occurred quite often and IMHO was a jaw dropper every time.

I love the old stuff but some of our current planes are amazing too.

Good Stuff Phil.

[2Dogs]

http://jerryschiller.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/nose1.jpg

Went to Wiley Post on Sunday. Snapped a few photos.
This is looking out of the b-17 through the nose.

[2Dogs]

This B-17 was iat the Norman airport in 2011

http://jerryschiller.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/noseshp.jpg

http://jerryschiller.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/DSC_81111.jpg

[pphilfran]

http://jerryschiller.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/nose1.jpg

Went to Wiley Post on Sunday. Snapped a few photos.
This is looking out of the b-17 through the nose.

Great pic

[sappstuf]

Where have I been?? Awesome pics and experience!

[cleller]

http://jerryschiller.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/nose1.jpg

Went to Wiley Post on Sunday. Snapped a few photos.
This is looking out of the b-17 through the nose.

Good grief. I thought this was something set up in a studio with the sky superimposed on the background. Good work, or good timing.

[pphilfran]

Where have I been?? Awesome pics and experience!

I feel much better....

[sappstuf]

I feel much better....

Actually I have been reading a WW2 history book.. Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal (http://www.amazon.com/Neptunes-Inferno-U-S-Navy-Guadalcanal/dp/0553385127)

It is a great book so far.

And to bring it back around to your thread title, here is a picture of a B-17 barely missing a Japanese Battleship during the battle.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/HieiB17Nov13.gif