B-17 and the B-24

[Mr.Microphone]

The paperwork on the Radio Operator's station was a nice touch. Of the flying 17's I have seen this year I think I liked Aluminum Overcast the best. Oxygen hoses on the walls, the navigators seat actually in the nose. Hard to believe she used to be a fire ant bomber in the 60's!

I have seen 4 so far, only have 10 more to go to see all the flight worthy ones!

 

[Diamondback]

IIRC, some specific demographics were singled out for ball-gunners:

1. Short.
2. Very small "frame size", in addition to diminutive height.
3. Contortionist skill a plus.
4. Preferably, someone with no ties to leave behind--'cause if they can't get the gear down and have to belly in, and can't rotate the turret or get the hatch open to let you back out, guess who goes "squish" under the plane's weight? That's right, you.

If I'd have had to ride ball, I'd have wanted some serious metal-cutting tools in with me so I could hack my way out if necessary... and would be spending as much time up in the fuselage as possible.

 

[MPicciotto]

Ever climbed around inside a B-25? the nose area for the bombardier is accessed through a tunnel that is about 2.5 feet wide and 1.5 feet tall. You lay on your back and pull yourself along using bars that run on each side of it. So in a bailout situation you would have to scurry back through that tunnel to the area behind the pilots, put on your parachute harness and then exit through the hatch in the bottom. Not enough room to go through the tunnel in full kit. Some later versions of the 25 the bombardier was replaced by a cannon!! Which then occupied that tunnel with the breech in that area behind the pilots.

Matt

 

[b17sam@hotmail.]

Real Pictures of B17 and B24 in combat by one who was there

Real Pictures Missions Reports of B17 and B24 in combat by one who was there
www.b17sam.com

 

[Hondo]

Thanks 4 link

b17sam: Thanks for the link,
always good to hear of this info details,
grateful to all

 

[thunderw21]

These are from another thread, but I'll add them here.

Ames, Iowa, July 20, 2008.

Sentimental Journey.

 

[thunderw21]

More:

 

[thunderw21]

In one of the hangers.

Who's that in the nose?

Yep, my sister and I took a ride in it.

Big smiles after.

Takeoff from the nose:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j4NPFpw4jM

 

[thunderw21]

.50 goodness

Startup!

Lookin' back towards the tail gear and tail gunner.

 

[ranchnman]

two awsome aircraft right there!

 

[Sertsa]

I thought I'd add to this thread, since I took a few snapshots while walking around a pretty cool airshow about a month ago (It was at Lost Nation airport in Willoughby, Ohio). The B17 had just landed before these photos were taken (I also took some during landing, but they're not as good), and I believe all the planes were flyable.

The B-17:

A B-25:

And, as a bonus, a P-51 (they were letting people climb into the cockpit):

And, as a completely unrelated to the subject, but it was at the show bonus, a MiG (which had also just landed and leaked something on the tarmac. When someone pointed it out, one of the crew yelled back that that was normal for this type of aircraft and added, "It's like a [expletive] dog. It marks its territory wherever it goes").

(I'll understand if the Mustang and MiG photos are deleted from this thread.)

 

[John in Covina]

Ride in a B - 17 ? Huh ! In the wonderful UK - FORGET IT ! Our equivalent of your F.A.A. is the C.A.A. ( civil aviation authority )
We nickname it the 'campaign against aviation'

They won't allow such things which is silly in my view - there is only one airworthy B17 here which is called Sally B - it's based at Duxford and obviously it costs a fortune to keep it flying.
I asked a member of the flight crew when I attended the Flying Legends airshow there last year why it wasn't possible.
He just shrugged and said " The good old C.A.A. I'm afraid " !

***********

Sounds like their motto is: "We're not happy until your not happy!"

 

[Warden]

On a related note I came across this on the BBC news website.

Never before seen footage on the famous B-17 Memphis Belle aircraft have gone on show for the first time since the 1940's.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7589207.stm

Harry

 

[Micawber]

^^I know that place very, very well^^.

 

[warbird]

And, as a completely unrelated to the subject, but it was at the show bonus, a MiG (which had also just landed and leaked something on the tarmac. When someone pointed it out, one of the crew yelled back that that was normal for this type of aircraft and added, "It's like a [expletive] dog. It marks its territory wherever it goes").

(I'll understand if the Mustang and MiG photos are deleted from this thread.)

Thatr is jet fuel, dumping out of crevices from sections of the burner cans. Yes, many jets of that age and newer ones too have a love for peeing everywhere they stay.

The SR71 was so bad about leaking fuel that they had to put a very low flammability and low vapor fuel in them.

 

[Diamondback]

The other reason for high-flashpoint fuel on the Blackbirds was that they actually pump fuel through the airframe as coolant--to get the stuff to light off, you need either tetraethyl borane (IIRC, there were eight "shots" per engine of the stuff aboard for emergency relights) or if you ran out of TEB, there was a "failover" system in the J58 engine that used platinum-silicide disks, but my Dash-1 hasn't arrived yet and my last session with Habus was other technical questions.

"Marking territory" is a common expression among fighter jocks and Sled Drivers, at least in my experience... and never fails to draw a smirk whenever I hear it.

 

[Sertsa]

Thanks. I wondered what was leaking, and I didn't know that about the SR-71. (I've had a fascination with that plane ever since seeing it at an air show when I was very young).