B-17 Flying Fortress

[marcspaz]

Don't know if we have any aviation fans here... but I had a chance to see a B-17 Flying Fortress in person today at the Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia today. I love this plane. She still has her full armament... no payload though.

 

[retfr8flyr]

Beautiful, there are only a few of these still in flying condition and some of those are not original like this one. You are lucky to get a chance to see one in person.


Earl

 

[marcspaz]

It was a privilege for sure. I have seen a couple that were gutted shells in some air museums. This is the only operational B-17 I have seen in person in my life. The fact that it looks original and has its armament was awesome.

 

[tjm73]

Which one was it? When I was growing up a local group had the Fuddy Duddy in Geneseo NY and they had an airshow every year. Was neat to see it flying often in the summers.

Her history http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b17registry/b17-4483563.html

The weirdest thing about them is how slow they look like they are flying. It's almost like they can barely go fast enough to stay aloft.

 

[irishpwr46]

^ I went to that airshow almost twenty years ago.

 

[50tbrd88]

I got to go through an operational one years ago with my dad and brother. It was something I'll never forget.

It was used in the movie Memphis Belle which was my favorite movie when I was younger.

 

[marcspaz]

This one is not at a show. The airport has a museum and it is on display at the air field this week.

 

[BadHabit2Break]

My Grandfather flew on the "Gremlins Hideout" as a radioman. I found the plane at a museum in Florida. On vacation, we made the stop and see it. They have repainted it to look like another B-17 for some reason.

And here it is before they repainted it.

 

[Surfstang2020]

They are cool planes indeed

 

[RazorbackMustang]

Head up to Air Venture in Oshkosh, WI in July. More warbirds than you can shake a stick at. There were two flying B-17s there this year, plus the only flying B-29 in the world.

 

[lethe]

Very cool.

 

[Higgy]

I went through one about 10 yrs ago that had stopped here for the weekend. Think it was "Sentimental Journey" (it was a G model). I am an aviation buff so this was pretty awesome for me.

Thing that stuck out the most was how tight it is inside the B-17. I could not imagine being one of the crew in WW2 trying to get out of one in a hurry if it was going down, although I am on the bigger side at 6'5" and 230lbs (probably 30lbs lighter then lol). I could not even squeeze the lower half of my body into the ball turret, the waist section of the plane was a tight fit, had to duck the whole time and the tail section was not even possible for me.

There was also a He-111 there that day. We also have a Lanc. and a Mosi. at the airport that are being restored to flying condition. Hope to get into those one day.

 

[RichardSATX]

I love all the old warbirds, especially with radial engines. I worked for Gary Aircraft in Hondo Texas in the early 80's. They were the only free world manufacturer of radial engine components at the time. I got to change engines on a B-17, B-25, F4U Corsair, P47, all kinds of old birds. I also got to fly on the test flights as the flight engineer monitoring the new engines. Loads of fun. Gary Aircraft went out of business when they got into a lawsuit with the government. No win situation.

 

[Greg Hazlett]

Makes you want to watch Memphis Belle!

 

[Shotokan1509]

Very cool, used to go see them everytime they flew in locally (b-17's, b-24's, fighters, etc) when I was a kid. Funny you posted this, I just read


A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II Hardcover
by Adam Makos (Author) , Larry Alexander (Author)



Excellent book!

 

[BadHabit2Break]

Makes you want to watch Memphis Belle!

 

[05yellowgt]

The original Memphis Bell is current being restored here in Dayton, OH. It is at the National Museum of the United States AirForce. Here is a link to some info on the project http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibits/restoration/index.asp

If you guys ever find yourself in my little corner of the country and fancy yourself an aviation buff, you must make time to visit the Museum. Schedule yourself a minimum of a full day if you really want to be able to take time to read and look at each exhibit. The facility is MASSIVE!

Whenever I take my kids I always find an excuse to get some time to just stair at the SR-71 Blackbird they have on display. I have a bit of an obsession with that aircraft!!

 

[sethah]

I had a chance to go through one with my grandpa about 12 years ago at an airshow. My grandfather & his brother were both B-17 pilots in WW 2. It was incredible to see him go through the cockpit and tell me what every single instrument and switch was for. I have some great memories of him telling a few stories about flying the B-17. He has been gone for 8 years now & i still get emotional when i see one of these planes. Thanks for posting the pics.

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[Greg Hazlett]

^^ good to know they made it as they were sitting ducks and a lot of crews did not make it back...

 

[sethah]

Grandpa's brother was a POW for 16 months. His plane took a lot of flak on a bombing mission in Germany and had to land. My Grandfather was flying the same mission but didnt know until he got back. They really were the greatest generation.

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