Do you want to go for a ride in a B-17?

I know this is off topic, but I drove to the airport in my '36 Ford, so that counts right? Last Saturday my Dad took my two brothers and I on a ride in a B-17. We've all walked trough one a couple of times, and always wanted to go for a ride in one.

I've always known that the B-17 was of great significance in my family, because both of my Grandfathers were members of a B-17 crew during WWII. My Dad's father was a Tail Gunner and flew 11 missions. He was shot down over Germany and captured. My Mom's Dad was a Bombardier and flew 36 missions (that's one extra). As I've gotten older I've really come to appreciate what they did. Going for a ride in the plane really drives it home.




There was some talk about safety the day before. You know, the whole 'what if we crash' thing. I'll admit I thought about it, but I wasn't going to let it stop me from going. Saturday morning my brother Mike said "We're a bunch of whimps. We're just going to fly around the city. They got in these planes and got shot at". I thought that was a good point.

We got to the airport at 7am. Take off was at 8am, but we had to fill out paper work and get our instructions. We got on the plane at about a quarter to 8. It was like stepping back in time. Everything is mechanical. We were instructed to keep our hands off of the cables overhead. They connect the control surfaces of the tail to the cockpit. We belted in and looked around. Knowing what we were about to do was mind blowing. I sat in the Radio Operators' seat and had a small window out the left to look through. I could see over the top of the wing and look at the back of the left engines. As I looked I could get a feel for just how many parts are making up this plane. Most held together with rivets. Man, there are a lot of rivets. As I was looking at the inside of the plane's skin, I got to thinking about how this plane is just an aluminum tube with engines and a bunch of guns. It didn't feel like a Flying Fortress. Nothing between you and the bad guy but sky and a thin piece of aluminum.







With no warning the right outside engine began to run. The plane went from a silent, solid object to vibrating and shaking. I got the butterflies ...we were actually doing this! The engine sounded just like my brother's straight-piped Flathead powered '34 with the big cam. JUST LIKE IT. Then the smell of the hi-test fuel and exhaust began to fill the plane. That was something I had never wondered about. What the smell would be like. It smelled just like we were at the Drag Races. After a minute the right inside engine began to run and the plane shook around a bit more. I sat with my eyes peeled on the left engines waiting for something to happen. The left inside engine began to spin over about 5 or 6 times before a big cloud of smoke came out the exhaust. The cowling around the cylinders was shaking around like it was just taped on until it started hitting on all cylinders. WOW! After we sat with all engines running for a bit we started to move.







At the top of the runway the plane stopped. The pilot began to run each engine way up one at a time. I guess to clean them out or something, but it was cool to hear each one go way up and hold for a bit and then come back down to idle. As we turned onto the runway I caught a glimpse of the stoplight at 31st and Pennsylvania. I wondered what the people in the cars thought about the prewar airplane running just yards away from them early on a Saturday morning. The pilot held the brake and ran all the engines up. The plane was lurching forward and then back rapidly. I could feel the tail wheel come off the ground and then touch again several times. Then the pilot let go of the brake ...that plane pins you in the seat pretty good.

 

We must have been airborne for about 10 seconds when the guy in charge at the back of plane said we could walk around. Really? ...OK! We started walking around inside plane looking through the different windows. We made a loop around the airport before going up the Ogden divide to Pineview Dam. The entire time you could smell the Hi-test fuel and the exhaust / oil from the engines. It was loud, but not as cold as the flight director said it would be. Maybe I just didn't notice. We flew around the lake and went down Ogden canyon. I mean we went DOWN the canyon. We were low, right down inside the canyon! That must have been a sight to those people driving through the canyon! We came out the other side and went right down 12th street, banked left and flew around the airport another time. The guy in charge said it was time to land so we all scrambled to our seats. You could see the runway out my window coming up fast. As the tires touched the runway, the smell of rubber filled the plane. Man, this smells just like the races! After we taxied to the tower the Pilot cut the engines. Once again the plane was silent and solid, but you could still smell everything. You could see the smoke inside the plane as the sunbeams came in through the window. FREEKIN' AWESOME!!! Thanks Dad! I'll never forget it.

 

My uncle who just passed away at 92yrs old was a flight engineer/gunner on a B-17, he said you could virtually make swiss cheese out of that bomber and it would still fly home, as long as nothing vital was hit he knew they would make it. Went to his 90th birthday party and got to talk with him about his war days, he could still remember all the stats for that bomber, how much fuel burned for take off with a full ordinance etc. Very interesting to say the least...we are going to miss these guy's and there is not a whole lot of them left, their ranks are getting thinner every day.

 

Some more pics:

 

A couple of years ago there was one of the still flying B-17 (can't remember which it was) that spent a few days on display and making short flights with passengers at our local air strip (Bar Harbor Airport in Maine). I didn't go for a ride, but I did take the time to crawl through the plane. I was very surprised how small the things are inside.

This summer a local business that makes scenic flights added a WWII vintage dive bomber trainer to his fleet. A ride in that is on my list of things to do next summer.

Edit: Actually, it was this very aircraft that was at our airport.

 

loudpedal, that engine run up at the end of the runway before takeoff was probably a mag check. Reciprocating aircraft engines have two magnetos and two plugs per cylinder, the engines are run up to a set RPM and the mags are turned off one at a time. You look for a certain amount of RPM drop when the mag is turned off, if its too much then it must be investigated.

 

Wow!!!! Color me extremely jealous!!

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What he said!!!

 

I once had the chance to talk to some guys who restored a B-24 and they told me something I never thought about before. These planes were built as fast as possible to get as many of them as they could into the fight quickly. The life expectancy was short and there was no thought given to building these things to last. They were not concerned with corrosion protection for example.

So now, some 70-80 years after they were built, they can be a real challenge to keep them maintained and flying and the costs are astronomical.

Makes it even more special and amazing to see one of these in flying condition.

It may be off topic but this is a great post and thanks for taking the time to do it!

 

Mag check is absolutely correct...........

and we are all jealous.........

Glad you got the chance to do it.

Mark

 

Color us all jealous. It may be an old survivor, but that plane is still BIG TIME. Gary

 

Congrates, you are truly lucky. Thank you for sharing.

 

That is awesome! Walked around a B17 in CA. at a show a few years back and was amazed at what the tail gunner had for limited space and protection!

 

That's something I have always wanted to do. Loved your story too, excellent insight.

 

Awesome, Congrats.

 

Can you image being sealed up in one of those and somebody shooting at you? Great story and video thanks for sharing and yes I'd like to ride in one too.

 

A post on B-17's is never OT in my opinion, Dad was a Chief Armored at Great Ashfield 1943-1945 with the 385 BG. I really wish I'd asked him more questions about life on the base. I started researching things on the computer years ago, and found it bothersome that the flight crews and ground crews were housed is seperate sections and never socialized. But there was a reason for that, in the early days if half the bombers cam back it was a fairly good day, 10 guys lost in every B-17, the ground crews were better off not knowing who was in the planes. Maybe that is why Dad didn't talk about things on the base. Taking a B-17 flight today is the best thing you can do to say Thank You to the kids that never came home......Loudpedal, youe in flight photos are some of the best I've seen, Thank You! Bob

 

Thanks for taking the time to put this post together. It is much appreciated.

 

Your one Lucky SOB!! And you have family history to be proud of.
We have to thank the WW2 vets for all we enjoy today.

 

I've got a couple of PM's asking how you can take a ride on one.

Here are a couple of sites with flight locations and schedules:

http://www.b17.org/

http://www.azcaf.org/pages/touring.html

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedules.htm

 

Glad you all got to experience that. Must have been mind blowing! Those aircraft are still nothing short of amazing.

 

Thank you so very much. What a tribute to those who served. Love the sound of those engines.

 

Took a ride in Collings Foundation B-17 a few years ago. It was a highlight of my life. My dad was the pilot on one during WWII. At 19 years old he and his crew picked up a new one at the factory and flew it to England. They put in their 25 missions bombing Germany and came home (you needed 25 successful missions to rotate back stateside). Like has been stated some missions had a loss rate of 50% so you didn't like making close friends as they might not make it past the next mission. After getting home dad decided he liked military flying and re-enlisted. He trained as a pilot in the then new B-29 and spent the remainder of the war bombing Japan.
After the war he made the Air Force his career retiring after 38 years spent flying B-47's and last the B-52's. He died 5 years ago a patriot to the end.

Frank

 

Oh man, I want to do that so bad! Thanks for sharing.
Tom

 

Thanks a lot 4 photo and info,loved it all.

 

if you can get a ride go for its a blast. we have a few war birds here in the desert do do a lot of flying during the winter months. to bad fule is so expesive. its not cheap to take a flight. but damn worth it.
chris.

 

thanks for sharing you lucky dog!!!!!! and thank your grandfathers for their service!!!!

 

Every year, the B-17 and B-24 comes to our local airport. Sure, it would be fun to go for a ride, maybe someday when I win the lottery. Until then, I'll just look and drool.

 

i know how you feel, they come by here too! at 400 plus bucks i want to do it, but ouch. its a once in a life time for sure, well at least once a year.