I went for a ride in the Collings Foundation's B-17 "Nine-O-Nine" a few years back; it was worth every dime of the $350 bucks it cost at the time (even though that was probably close to a week's pay back then). You sit on the floor, the engines roar as they fire up, the plane fills with smoke, and you're off! It's easy to imagine the thoughts going through the heads of the young guys taking off on these missions that lasted eight hours in a freezing cold cramped space way up in the sky. Forget the cost; I promise you'll get your money's worth!
Muttley posted the schedule for the Liberty Belle, here is the schedules for the Collings Foundation planes (B-17, B-24, and P-51) and here is the schedule for Fifi. When my son is old enough to hopefully appreciate these machines and what they represent, I'll be signing the two of us up for a ride. As was posted earlier, just pay the money and go, you'll never regret it and remember it forever.
If you're interested in the B-29's war mission you should buy General Lemay's book B-29 Superfortress. Lemay was in the charge of the B-29 bombing mission of Japan and he spares no words on the trouble getting the plane combat ready.Constant engine problems,mostly overheating because of severe overloads. Lemay mentions an engine might sieze just after takeoff ,if you were lucky the propeller tore off and fell away.If you were unlucky the whole engine tore from the mount and fell away ,maybe taking the wing with it.We're talking a 14 foot prop and a 3000 pound 18 cylinder engine.Flying was serious business in WW2. The B-29 project from around 1940 until 1944 cost more than the A Bomb Manhatten project.It was the most complicated aircraft of ww2
I just watched the B-17 and B-25 land, taxi and park. Yee haw! The B-29 was delayed in Tucson, should be here later today.
I must agree, who cares what it costs..just go because you may never get the chance again. It is truly a "once in a lifetime" opportunity...especially with the number of these great warbirds that survive today: Of the 12,731 B-17's produced, Only 31 survive today, of which only 12 are flying examples. of the 18,482 B-24's produced, Only 19 survive today, of which only 2 are flying examples. Of the 3,970 B-29's produced, Only 34 survive today, of which only 1 is a flying examples. It is truly sad as to how many were lost both during and after the war, but I'm thankful for what we do have today. My Great-Grandfather Cecil Roth, was a Staff Sargent in the U.S. Army Air Corp 1942-45 and served as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator out of Burma. His squad, the 143 Bomb group, was on a mission in 1944 when they were surprised by a squad of Japanese aircraft (Zeros). By the time they had seen them, it was too late. The enemy squad swarmed the group of B-24's and cut them to shreds. In the fire fight that ensued, he kept shooting, despite low ammo and the bullets that came slicing through the fuselage just behind him (one of which fragmented into shrapnel and struck him in the hip and thigh). After the fight, He noticed that the plane was simply circling in a very mild dive...as if no one was at the controls. Fearing the worst, he made his way up forward to find his entire crew dead and his plane badly wounded, two engines out, one ok and the the other having issues. The airplane had also lost hydraulic control..so no gears either. Rather than bailing out, he did his best to limp "Gremlin's Glory" back to base and belly land her on the runway to bring his fallen buddies...and his plane home. For this, he was a awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross. I sadly never got the chance to meet him, as he died from a heart attack at the age of just 46 in 1964. This story was passed to me by my Great Grandmother and many of the artifacts I have from his "War years"
I went and saw the "Aluminum Overcast" when she came to the Planes of Fame Air Museum here in Chino a few years back. That was a cool plane. Very well preserved.
Just another side note. The Museum of Flight in Seattle, resently rolled out their B-29, it was one of the last aircraft to come out of the old plant #2, before demolition of the historic bldg. I hope to see it on display soon along with their B-17. .........Jack
Here's a B-17 story that a freind of mine told me about a buddy of his. In the late 1960's, the filming of the movie "Tora, Tora, Tora" was going on. They needed crews to ferry some B-17s from the mainland to Hawaii. This fella (I don't recall his name) was qualified as a navigator on a wide range of military arcraft including the B-17, so they called upon him to be part of the crew. He gets lined up with a pilot and co-pilot and they leave San Francisco in one of the B-17s and head out west by southwest. Shortly after departure, the pilot asks for a heading. The navagator comes up to the flight deck, looks up above through the canopy for afew seconds and says that their current heading is fine. About 45 min. into the flight, the pilot asks for a heading once again, the navigator again looks up above through the canopy for a few seconds says that their current heading is fine. This continues for a couple more hours. About three hours into the flight, the pilot is now getting nervous and a little agitated, he says to the navigator "Were getting pretty far out here, don't you think you shoud do some navigating?" The navigator comes up to the flight deck, looks up through the canopy and points to several contrails above them and says "You see all of those contrails up there? Every one of them is making a beeline for Honolulu, we'll be fine.
if you can part with the money, go for a flight. i rode in the "aluminum overcast" a couple of years ago . well worth the dough, i got to hit every spot except the tail gunner and ball turret . sat up in the bombadier spot for a good stretch of the flight then sat behind the pilots on the landing . i loved it and plan on doing it again later this year.
I totally agree with most of the ride votes. Last airshow I did (3 years ago) with "FiFi" they were not giving rides. Below are a couple of pics of my son's (13) last ride (2010) on the B-17G "Liberty Bell". I posted these a while back, thought you might like to see some of them again.
My uncle is the airport manager of the Madras, Oregon airstrip. Used to be a training center in ww2 for the the b17 and b22. My uncle bases his maintenance company out of one of the old hangers. Every year they have an air show (which is the 26,and 27 of august this year(and there is a car show too)) and i think it was in 2009 when one of the b-17's were there. They had some maintenance issues so they couldn't give flights. The whole crew just went back to the hotel, even after offers from well certified A&P's to stay through the night and do their inspections.
This weekend Saturday at the Chandler airport in Chandler 1675 East Ryan Rd Arizona will be a car show and WARBIRD B-17 B-25 SNJ and L-16 also Sunday Car Show. I will have the 32 there hopefully a picture with all of these planes. Here are pictures of last year at Falcon field Az. Thanks Frenchy
Pretty much the perfect AZ day to check out some old warbirds. Had my camera set wrong for the first few shots so they're B&W. These planes certainly weren't designed with 6'1", 270 pound dudes in mind! I've got over 100 pics, I'll post a link once they're uploaded.
Stories on "Doc" can found by searching The Wichita Eagle's website www.kansas.com - and to be HAMB-friendly check it out every Saturday for Mike Berry's old car feature stories. Back to "Doc" - there's a bit of controversy around its restoration since it's owned by someone from the east coast, relying on volunteers in Wichita to restore it and the generosity of Spirit/Boeing to house it. Recently it was towed out of the hanger it was being restored in at McConnell AFB, which is adjacent to the Boeing/Spirit plant and the old Wichita Municipal Airport/Kansas Aviation Museum, because it was considered to be improper use of USAF facilities (read the stories on the Eagle's website for better info). "Doc" still has a ways to go before it's airworthy, and without a hanger to work in and the resentment of some in Wichita about the fact that once it is flyable the owner will leave town with it, this story could play out for some time to come. So sad...
If you see oil leaking from the engines... it's fine! It's when you don't see oil leaking when you ask that question! Hahaha!
Mike was out while Jess' and I were there and pretty much told me the same thing! Then he showed me the 35 GALLON oil tanks on the B-25... This link should take you guys to the rest of my pics... There's about 100 and they are HUGE! http://www.flickr.com/photos/82666405@N00/ ..
Thanks for all of the pictures guys, Fifi is awesome! A couple years ago for my birthday I was given a ride on the Yankee Lady, a B17 out of the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport near Detroit, MI. It was the adventure of a lifetime! I got to be the co-pilot for take off and the nose gunner for the landing! The Yankee Air Museum tours their planes and offers rides as well. Check here for more info: http://www.yankeeairmuseum.org/b17_flying_fortress.php Lots more pics of my B17 ride here: http://s36.photobucket.com/albums/e46/ChevyGirlRox/Yankee Lady B17 ride 2008/?start=all
Each engine on the B-17 has it's very own 37 gallon oil tank. I was talking with our avionics guy who did some work on this particular B-17 (Sentimental Journey), he told me they also can install a set up that allows them to replenish oil in flight from 55 gallon drums in the bomb bay.
what a great picture! these were built before my time, right down the street from where we live! i could only imagine what it was like back then to see them flying around, right over your home! awesome!
I watched the restoration and first flight of Glacier Girl (P38 above), I was thinking she was sold to a collector in Europe by the family that restored her. Here's some pics I took a few years ago, got to sit in her...quite a feeling.
Thanks Mike for letting us know about this and thanks Nick for the cool pics. I flew in a B25 at Chino about 15 years back and it was fun, esp being able to share it with 4 buddies. I'd love to see and hear the B29. Will see if I can make it but, right now swapping the motor in my 66 GTO.
Those are great pics..... I think my BIL bought it from them....with the intention of trying to complete it's flight across the Atlantic....but 4 months later someone (I thought in Texas) made him an offer he couldn't refuse.... 2 Years ago they tried to fly it to England for an anual air show....but she had engine trouble and had to land in Greenland....again....
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