B-17

[Boz330]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjRQXjcY6u0

Bob

[462]

I was inside that B-17 ("Nine O Nine") recently. My appreciation of all the B-17 aircrews grew immensely, after crawling and walking stooped over about the interior -- it's more cramped you might imagine.

[Moonie]

I have an uncle that was a nose gunner/radio man on a B-17 in the south pacific. Visited his grave yesterday with my father, dad mentioned stories Uncle Wayland had about flying over Japan dropping bombs. Interestingly dad was only born because my grandparents visited my Uncle in California, it was a long train ride. Dad was born November 15'th 1945, the youngest by far of 6 children. We also visited his other brother who is buried near him, he was 101'st in Korea.

[popper]

Not about the 17, but another memorable plane with some humor http://forum.armyairforces.com/SPITFIRE-BEER-RUNS-in-WORLD-WAR-II-as-MORALE-BUILDER-m215375.aspx

[rexherring]

A good friend of mine had been a B-17 pilot in WW2 over Germany and then flew the Berlin Airlift after the war had ended supplying needed provisions after the Russians had blocked it off. He had many stories and photographs of his missions in a scrapbook. The cover of the scrapbook was the thin plywood swastika from a M-109 German fighter plane tail section.

My father was an aircraft mechanic for the Navy when the war broke out and was shipped immediately to Pearl Harbor to start rebuilding the air fleet.

[462]

What man will do for his daily beer.

Even in wartime, leave it to a bureaucracy to kill inventiveness and moral, and demand its tax.

[Harter66]

USMC Col Gregory (Pappy) Boyington recounted in Baa Baa Blacksheep that they would island hope w/2 empty magazine bays and going to 20k ft on the last hour back to base to chill the beer in the magazines. Actually after reading the book several times it seems the Black Sheep only had 3 states ,on the stick charged and ready ,drunk,passed out/sleeping.

For what its worth ''flight into conquest '' by Masjaro Kawato is an excelent read also . It may also be found retitled as ''bye bye black sheep'' as 1 night in Reno at Harrah's he and Pappy were sitting 2 tables apart telling a story. ''I finally got around on the Corsair when he made this hard break right into my guns....'' ,'' I just couldn't shake that last 1 all I had left was to hard break inside but that put me right in to his guns ''. Turned out Masjaro ''Mike'' was the Japanese Zero pilot that shot Pappy down when he was captured.

Stuka Pilot is a great read as well,although the authors name escapes me.

Back on topic I've walked around couple B17s and 24s I was able to get into a Lancaster in Canada and several B-25s spacious by comparison to the 17,24 or Lancaster. Beautiful birds by any measure I was able to walk the wing and sit in the cockpit of 2 Corsaires that are no longer w/us an F4U dubbed Blue Max and an F2G that flew as the Bud Light Super Corsaire at Reno. I even have taxi time in a P51D and AT6. The 51 does have a cool factor but there's nothing like those radial engines ,insert cat call and wolf whisle here,coming to life . The lope at idle that sounds a little like a bear huffing and that 100 octane exhaust full of tetraeythal lead,hmmmmm.....

[popper]

Corsair - double bank radial with turbo & water injection IIRC. Really advanced and cool bird. Powerful enough for added armor & armament. AT6/SNJ also had a 2 bank jet trainer version, IIRC. really working the grey matter overtime remembering all this good stuff.

[smokeywolf]

popper, your right about the powerplant in the Corsair; a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp. Later in the war, they produced a "Super Corsair" and put a Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major (the "Corncob") in the nose.

[popper]

T-28 trainer,redesigned SNJ with Wright R-1820-9 1600HP radial. SNJ had 600HP. Same engine in the B-17. Single bank 9 cylinder. My error.
This is neat! http://www.modellclub.lu/cms/sites/modellclub.lu/files/Presentation1_WRIGHT_Cyclone9_v12-1.pdf. Enjoy.

[10-x]

Here's "Shoo, Shoo, Shoo Baby" at Dover AFB in 88 and "Fuddy Duddy" at NAS Norfolk in the 90's.

[wch]

Ironic, isn't it?
That the implements of war will far outlive the men who made such use of them.