Yesterday I took my wife and son to the see the B-17 Flying Fortress known as Sentimental Journey as it traveled into our local airport. It doesn't come here often, I think this is the first time in three years since it has been here and since maintaining and keeping these fine airplanes in flying condition costs so much, one never knows if they will see it again. They plan on having flights later this week so hopefully we can go back and get a few glimpses of her on take off and landing, I have seen this one and another B-17 in flight before and its a sight to behold. I can hardly imagine seeing an entire flight of these crossing into Europe over the English channel during World War II.

__________________
Vaya con Dios

When I went through my first B-17, it hit me how small these planes were inside. When you watch films about the airplane, you get the feeling it's an extremely large aircraft but get inside one and you have to wonder how the waist gunners kept from knocking themselves down if they were both firing their 50s.

I seen this plane up close 25 years ago or so. they do take care of it. I wonder how many hours are on it?

How small they are was the 1st thing that struck me when I toured a B17 in the late 80's.
Very late B-17G had staggered waist gun positions.

In 1940 they were big airplanes. Yeah, baby. Boeing!

__________________
Wayne
Torn & Frayed

That old warbird is just beautiful. Thanks for posting.

By coincidence, this plane came up in conversation with some old college friends last weekend. One of them had seen it several years ago and claimed it was one of the coolest things he ever saw and said it should be on everyone's bucket list.

David, thank you for the wonderful pictures. I have to admit I take for granted the ease of access I have living here in the heart of Boeing country. Their museum of flight is a half hour drive if the traffic is clear, and it's a wonderful place to spend a day. We're a fairly regular destination for planes like this.

The Sentimental Journey is based here in Arizona, where it's maintained in great flying condition. Here are a couple of photos I've taken of it recently. That's T/Sgt. Manny Quinn in the tailgunner's seat.

John

__________________
- Cogito, ergo armatus sum -

We are blessed in Arizona not only to have this plane and others here but to have the Pima Air Museum down near Tucson.
I would advise anyone planning a trip out here to visit the Pima Air Museum and the airfield in Mesa where Sentimential Journey is housed.
Jim

http://www.pimaair.org/

I picked up a '42 Ford jeep a couple of years ago. The WWII jeeps are tiny. My Dad is a WWII vet and he pointed out to me most folks back then weren't the size we are today...though he noted jeep drivers in his division (1st ID), were usually pretty short. I imagine ball turret gunners especially weren't first picks on a basketball team.

We had the Collins foundation bring in their B17 and B24 to our local airport a few years back. I was lucky enough to tour both planes and made it a point to be at the airport when the B17 left. To watch them turn the props, fire the engines and take off was truly a sight to behold.

I have a computer full of pictures of her. My Dad gets it to come to Dayton, OH about every other year or so. He has been a Member of the Arizona Wing of the CAF for years. Never gets old seeing her. Never.

__________________
RIP Shipmate

I have taken a flight on both the B-17 and the B-24 that are owned by the Collings Foundation. My dad served on a B-24 as a Navigator and it was fascinating to go down in the nose to his position and imagine what it must have been like for a 20 year old. The flights are expensive but are tax deductible and I figured that every year the chances of being able to go up in one are getting slimmer and slimmer. I highly recommend a flight on one of them. You want to talk about getting goosebumps ? Wait until you are sitting inside of one smelling the avgas and hydraulic fluid and the pilot fires up the engines one at a time and it starts to taxi toward takeoff.

Whenever in Arizona, she flies over my house...

__________________
Hold my beer and watch this!

On the later models, they staggered the waist gun firing positions so this wouldn't happen.

Some years ago the Collings Foundation's "909" was in Casper; I sprung for a ride which lasted about 30 minutes. Although I plumb hate heights, flying doesn't really bother me.

But being in the bombardier's seat way up in that "plastic" nose--well, that's one queasy feeling. But I did it anyway. Let me tell you, it's one helluva view from up there!

Memphis Belle (1990) Takeoff Scene - YouTube

They did just that until somebody thought to stagger the position of the gun ports to reduce interference between firing stations. I need to see one of these up close.

Every time I watch that movie, I have to wonder what the crosswind was on that first one they show taking off. With that much of a crab angle it must have been pretty stiff. Weird thing is that only 25 years later was when I was in the CG, our planes (other than the few remaining HU16Es) were state of the art, with jet engines and solid state electronics. Also have to wonder what some of those old planes would have been capable of with turboprops.
Larry

I was looking at my pictures and was wondering if anybody else noticed markings for external bomb racks? has anybody ever seen a picture of a B-17 with bombs loaded externally?

There was a former B-24 bomber pilot two doors down when I was a kid. He said something that the ball turret gunners were really short guys, maybe 5'6" and under.

Someone told me that they couldn't wear parachutes, there wasn't enough room in the turrets. And since in order to bail out, the ball turret gunners had to point the turrets straight down, open the back door, wriggle out of the turret and then put on their `chutes, that if the airplane was shot down, the ball turret gunner usually was the one who didn't make it out.

My wife's father was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 during WW II and flew 33 missions. She was very close to her father and he died very suddenly one day in 1986. Being married for many years I find it difficult to find a birthday present for my wife. To her surprise, I gave her a flight on this very aircraft when it came to Arizona for her birthday present. It was quite expensive but well worth it. I took my gun buying money and offered $1000 bonus if she could fly the ball as her father had 65 years before. I was told nobody will ever fly in the ball. Stephanie B talked about the absence of parachutes for ball turret gunners. My father-in-law was issued a small parachute that was attached to his stomach, but seldom wore it as it interfered with his shooting, and he stated other ball turret gunners did not wear their either.

Here she is from June 14th, 2014 at the Wright Bros Airport in South Dayton, OH. Bare with me. The sun was in my eyes! I eventually got the whole plane in the viewfinder!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSdJ...ature=youtu.be

__________________
RIP Shipmate

...and three minutes later, somehow my Dad got a comp ride in the P51 Mustang that was there! (yes, he is in the back seat...)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgRM...ature=youtu.be

__________________
RIP Shipmate

A few years ago my wife surprised me on Fathers Day with a ride in the "Liberty Belle" (yup, the one that crashed & burned in the field near Aurora, Illinois airport the next spring.) We left Boeing Field, in Seattle & headed west over Puget Sound & the nearby islands. I was in the bombardiers seat during the run over the Bremerton Navy Yard! Yes, it quite small compared to what we rolled out the factory doors nowadays. I was fortunate to have worked in the old 2-40 & 2-41 bldgs at Boeing Plant II where many of the B-17's were built & one of the riders in my carpool had hired into Boeing in 1943 as an electrician installing wiring in the nose section of these aircraft. I believe the B-17 is the most graceful aircraft I have ever seen flying.

Great seeing your pictures and reading the stories of your interactions with the B-17. Fascinating! You are all most fortunate to be able to see these aircraft in your skies.

Nothing in the world sounds as sweet as a Merlin!

__________________
Minimize the variables