Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire B-24 and B-17 Fly-in

Had a chance to see up close a B24 and B-17 at the local airport. The B-24 is the only one still flying and the B-17 is 1 of 9. First the B-24












[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-24-7.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-24-8.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-24-9.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-24-10.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-24-11.jpg[/img]

The B-17
[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-1.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-4.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-6.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b96/yengich/B-17-7.jpg[/img]

Those planes were small and cramped. The catwalk in the bomb bay's was very tight to squeeze through. I tried to stand up into the top turret of the B-17 and was both too tall and too wide. I could not imagine trying to fit into the tail gunner position.

After seeing these planes up close sure makes you realize how brave those honorable men were that flew in them.

Those planes get around.

IIRC a ride on it costs about $300. They were in OK and my dad took them up on the flight as he'd flown B24s toward the end of WWII. They let him take the controls (right seat) for a few minutes. Truly a thrill of memories for him. Really neat photos. Thanks.
batch

Beautiful planes. It is going to be a sad day when I am old and gray and Blackhawks end up on poles as "Gate Guards".

Yep, I was in Pensacola FL a while back and the T-2B out in front of base ops is one I flew in VT-10. One of the guys my Dad and I flew model airplanes with growing up was a B-24 pilot and Ploesti was his first real mission. They got bagged and bellied it into a corn field where it broke up just in front of the wing. Everyone in the nose survived but the whole back end exploded. He spent the rest of the war in a Romanian POW camp (which he said was way preferable to a German one and they were treated decently) and upon repatriation was flown out sitting on a board across the bomb bay as a seat.

Tough guy in tough times.

Cool pics. In my local newsrag today there is a pic of a 1929 Ford Trimotor that landed for fuel at the Schenectady ARNG Airport. Wow!!

Beautiful!!! WWII-era planes are my favorites. Thanks so much for posting the pics. Great stuff.

B'sW

What a glorious sight. The only thing better is the sound of four of those great engines.

Let us forever honor the heroes who flew them. Remember thet the 8th Air force suffered more casualties in WWII than the entire Navy and Marine Corps combined.

Thank you for posting these pictures.

You may be slightly wrong about the B24. There was another thru here about a year ago, and it was faithfully restored as a version that was a type of transport used during WW2. Supposed to be very-very rare. Was at Shaw AFB open huse last year. It was a -24, but not a bomber, and was never in that config.

Neat pics, just the same!

There was a B-17 up here in Northern Alberta probably about 8 years ago. It was the only one in existance that had a fully functional ball turett. For $5 you could walk through it and look and touch prety much everything. To say it was cramped in their is an understatement. Was really great to see though.

According to the "Warbird Alley" web site Warbird Alley there are 2 airworthy B-24's, 1 LB30 (B-24 variant), and 13 B-17's. Its an interesting web site. I especially enjoy the flight reports on those some of those old birds.

Rick

The B-24 is the only one still flying..........................................

Unless this one crashed within the last couple of years, this one flew in to our airport.

The picture is dark for effect, but this one had a dragon painted on it, you can barely make it out. Can't remember the name of it.

I flew on the B-17 and the B-24 when they were in the Sacramento, Ca area about 10 years ago. I was a Loadmaster on C130's while in the Air Force and the flights on these birds was Quite an experience. It was kind of neat to to compare the conditions crews of these planes had to endure compared to the C130's. I must say the cabin noise level is about the same on all three!! (Loud)

Your welcome to all who enjoyed the pictures. As for 1or 2 flying B-24's, I am just going by what the people with the air planes said as well as the news article here.

The B-24 that you saw a few years ago with the dragon painted down the side is this exact same machine that has now been completely repainted. The B-24 Witchcraft and the B-17 Nine 'o Nine are both operated by the Collings Foundation. Look here for more info.

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/

This particular B24 was operated by the British in the Pacific during WW2. It later passed to the Indian Air Force before making it back to the States.

Later,
Mark in GA