I still get a thrill seeing this plane...

[PALADIN85020]

The WWII B-17 "Sentimental Journey" has long been maintained by the Commemorative Air Force, and is berthed, I believe, at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. It's been flying at air shows and special events for quite a few years. Many years ago on an automobile trip to Tucson from Phoenix, it flew directly over us at an altitude I'd guess as about 300 yards on Interstate 10, following the highway on visual back to its base.

It's been beautifully restored to B-17G configuration, and I've seen it up close when it came to Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ for an air show.

I took this picture yesterday at the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade; I heard it coming straight down Central Avenue, but didn't get a shot of it until it was on its way past my location, so this is the South end of the northbound plane.

One can imagine a Messerschmidt fighter plane attacking such a plane from the rear and underneath. It would be facing the plane just as you see it, and also facing many 50-caliber machine guns from the ball turret underneath, the tail, and possibly the waist gun on that side. You can see these plainly in the picture. No wonder the B-17 was nicknamed the "Flying Fortress."

One of my wife's uncles was a waist gunner on a B-17 in North Africa during WWII and lived to tell about it. He is definitely on my "personal heroes" list. Unfortunately he died from cancer a few years ago.

As a kid, I used to see P-38, P-51, B-17, B-24 and B-25 war planes in the air around Phoenix during the war. I've had the opportunity to crawl through a similar B-17 some years ago, and it gave me great appreciation of the cramped quarters the men had to suffer through inside. This one in particular still gives me a thrill when I see it in action. God bless the men who flew them in combat; their guts and bravery helped win the war that kept us free.

I thought you'd like to see this aircraft flying as I saw it yesterday.

John

 

[wbraswell]

When the day comes that I don't get a thrill from seeing a B-17, especially flying overhead, I will probably be under the ground. That goes for any old warbird, but the B-17 is special. God bless all those who flew against the Axis, or served to get those planes ready.

 

[arjay]

During the war flight crews were training in Colorado.If you have a gps,good lungs and boots,there are hundreds of wrecks scattered throughout the mountains.It really gives one pause coming across one.

 

[1911a2bphil]

John, thanks for those great pictures

 

[steveno]

I seen this plane in Hastings along with the mustang a long time ago but back then it was the Confederate Air Force (before political correctness). a couple of years later they had the B-29 & B-24 at Cheyenne

 

[IndianaDave]

A B-17 from the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom flew over my house twice last summer. I think it was the "Nine-oh-Nine". I still get goose bumps thinking about it. It didn't look more than a few hundred feet high and I think my jaw stayed dropped open for the rest of the day. We live about 10 miles from the Porter County, Indiana airport and we were luckily on it's inbound and outbound track. It was taking people for expensive rides. I almost drove right over there with my credit card and kind of wish I did.

 

[dcxplant]

Sentimental Journey is based at the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force located at Falcon Field, Mesa, AZ.

Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force

I am a member, and have taken the pilot ground school for the B17. I've not flown it yet as the sponsor money for the privilege is beyond my means at this time. Hopefully next season I can get into the cockpit for some tours, but I need 50 hours of tailwheel time in addition to saving up some dough. It's a dream of mine that I'll get to when able.

The wing has a B-25, A/T-6, a couple of Mustangs (privately owned but stored and flown there), and a lot of static displays.

This is a working museum, in that there are multiple restoration projects going on all the time, and the wing needs anyone handy to join in (under the supervision of a qualified A&P mechanic of course), and the goal is to keep as many aircraft flying as possible.

The wing has an annual 40's Big Band Dance that is a big deal every year, and a lot of fun.

 

[sheepdawg]

My father was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1944. The original Memphis Belle used to be displayed in front of the Tennessee National Guard Armory in Memphis. He'd make all kinds of detours to avoid looking at it.

Thankfully The Memphis Belle is now being restored to all it's glory in Dayton Ohio.

Memphis Belle, famed WWII bomber, being restored in Ohio - USATODAY.com

 

[DeathGrip]

Sentimental Journey is based at the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force located at Falcon Field, Mesa, AZ.

Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force

I am a member, and have taken the pilot ground school for the B17. I've not flown it yet as the sponsor money for the privilege is beyond my means at this time. Hopefully next season I can get into the cockpit for some tours, but I need 50 hours of tailwheel time in addition to saving up some dough. It's a dream of mine that I'll get to when able.

The wing has a B-25, A/T-6, a couple of Mustangs (privately owned but stored and flown there), and a lot of static displays.

This is a working museum, in that there are multiple restoration projects going on all the time, and the wing needs anyone handy to join in (under the supervision of a qualified A&P mechanic of course), and the goal is to keep as many aircraft flying as possible.

The wing has an annual 40's Big Band Dance that is a big deal every year, and a lot of fun.

I'd almost move out there just to buck a rivet or two. There's nothing like the sound of a WWII aircraft.

When I was a boy my Grandpa had a welding and fabrication shop at Opa Locka Airport in North Miami. There used to be a black and gold P-51 that would fly often enough that it would be a fairly regular treat. One day Art Scholl's P-51 the "Miss America" showed up there and we got to see him and that black and gold one fly together. You couldn't drag me off of the airfield with a truck. I still get goose bumps.

 

[dcxplant]

I am lucky. I live less than 1/2hr from the wing.

The aircraft routinely fly over my neighborhood of Fountain Hills, AZ during winter months (the B17 and B25 go on tour during hot summer months) as they give sight-seeing rides.

I have WWII fighters (A Bearcat one day), bombers and trainers flying around my house every weekend. It's like going back in time every Saturday and Sunday!!

The only part of that I don't like is the Blackhawks that circle around during the week (Boeing's plant is in Mesa), they are really loud and freak out the dogs. There is nothing pleasant in the whop-whop of a big helicopter to me, but I'm a fixed-wing man!

 

[BigBill]

I start jones'n when i hear any of these radial P&W engines. I believe i died in ww2 on an air plane fighting the war. These engines are music to my ears.

 

[Texas Star]

I start jones'n when i hear any of these radial P&W engines. I believe i died in ww2 on an air plane fighting the war. These engines are music to my ears.

I like the sound of the Rolls-Royce Merlin, too. Best known for use in the Hurricane and Spitfire, it was also used in later P-51's, and made the Mustang a much better high altiude fighter.

Also saw use in some bombers and I think, in the famous Mosquito.

I think the P-40F also used a Merlin engine, letting it achieve better altitude than with the usual Allison engine. With the Allison, it was barely useful much above 14,000 feet. Few of the F version were built, priority going to later designs that were desperately needed in the more effective types. But the P-40 fared pretty well below 14,000 and some men became aces in it. It was also an effective strafer, as depicted in the movie, "Valkerie". Two of them attacked the German column in which Tom Cruise's character was riding and cost the man an arm and an eye. (This happened to the actual officer who was played by Cruise.) Cruise was said to have insisted on real WW II planes for that scene, and the two RAF-marked P-40's filled the bill nicely. The RAF called them Kittyhawks instead of Warhawks.

BTW, the RAF provided Spitfires to many US pilots in the Med. theater. They were used until P-51's became available in mid-1944. Both MK V and MK IX were furnished, in sort of a reverse Lend-Lease plan. I've wondered if some flying MK IX Spits were reluctant to change to the Mustang. Of course, its much greater range was a vast advantage. These Spits were marked in US colors. Many of you have seen the photo of a MK V shot down over the beaches at Anzio. It landed right at the edge of the ocean, and is clearly seen on that awful beach. The plane wasn't too badly shot up. I hope the pilot got out alright. The photo captions/cutlines never say.

John, thanks for the view of the B-17. A great plane! My father was a petroleum engineer, but was employed at Boeing in WW II until he was drafted. He worked on B-29's.

 

[BigBill]

There is a B24 or B17 that comes around the country on a tour with a mustang fighter every summer. If you pay a fee they will take you up on the bomber. These seem scary and weird in the air together like going back in time.

Nothing on the planet can match our industries production. I built machines that can pop out any machined part like popcorn even before there was CNC's and computers. The auto makers still use them. My dad during WW2 ran one making torpedo noses.

I worked for the same machine manufacturer building machines to produce the M1 Abrams tank main engine rotor and turret bearing races upper and lower. I also build another machine to machine for the breach boxes on the 155mm howitzers. I later assembled the 155mm subunits to be shipped for final assemby at watervielt arsenal. I built machines for NASA too.

 

[DeathGrip]

I have to correct my self on post 9.

Art Scholl was not the owner of the P-51 known as the "Miss America". He was a stunt pilot.

I confuse easily.

 

[Gunslinger808]

Small world, here's a couple of pics I took a few years ago when it flew over my ranch outside Florence.

 

[rags]

My Dad is a crewmember. She's a fine Lady! I get to see it every couple of years.

Dad giving a History lesson...

 

[427mach1]

Once, I went out to Felts Field in Spokane Washington to pick up my nephew who was flying his Cessna up from Kennewick. When I got to the airport, there was a sign on the door of the flight service office, "B-17 rides two doors down". I asked the lady at the flight service about the sign. They had posted an ad in the newspaper for the EAA B-17 rides and listed her phone number as a contact, but she knew little about it. She had been receiving phone calls and walk-ins all morning long.

I sat down to wait for my nephew's arrival when and elderly man walked in and asked, "Is this where the B-17 rides are?" She replied, "No, sir, they are two doors down on the left". He then stated, "I used to fly one of those during the war, you know!" The three of us chatted for a few minutes, then he left to go get in line for his ride.

Soon I heard the distinctive sound of four radial engines. The plane circled, landed and taxied by, groaning, creaking, spitting, smoking, and backfiring. The two starboard engines were shut off, several people shuffled off the airplane, and several more shuffled on. The engines were restarted, and the plane took off for another flight.

I still get a lump in my throat when I think of that old guy and the countless other brave souls that piloted those birds over Europe.

 

[rags]

These baby's really purrrr!

 

[msinc]

I have to correct my self on post 9.

Art Scholl was not the owner of the P-51 known as the "Miss America". He was a stunt pilot.

I confuse easily.

Yes, Art Scholl was the designer and pilot of the Super Chipmunk, one of which is now on display at the Smithsonian in Reston, VA. He was killed filming the movie "Top Gun"

Speakin' of horses...any of you guys happen to know if that old B-17 is still sitting at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas????

 

[USAFret]

I got to fly on the B-17 'Liberty Belle' a few years back. It was lost about two years ago from an in-flight fire right after take-off. Landed fine in a cornfield but the crash trucks couldn't get there in time. All on board got off safely. The B-17 was a great aircraft. Wish there were more still flying.