B17 and B25 in flight
- Thread starter domtoni
- Start date
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
If any of you guys get an opportunity to ride on the Collings Foundation B-17 or B-24, I'd highly recommend it. It's a rare opportunity to gain some small amount of insight into what was experienced back when this was state-of-the-art machinery. They don't sanitize the flights or make them childproof. Poking my head out the rear hatch on top and behind the turret to watch those radials twist away was something I'll never forget. Basically they give you free roam of the entire plane, sans the left/right seat for about 30 minutes.
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Seeing those two planes lumbering over Silicon Valley gets me out of my seat everytime. Have not bucked up the money to actually go for a ride. But if you can really wonder around the plane and check every position out in flight...I might just have to go on up!
The were just out here two weeks ago.
The were just out here two weeks ago.
David Morton
Lifetime Supporter
It's now on my list as a 'must'.
I got to ride in the B-17 a few years ago. Well worth it. A real eye-opener when you roam around the inside (no seats, no belts, you sit on the floor/deck in the fuselage between the waist guns on take off and landing) while plugging along at something like 160 Knots, then think what it must be like while they're shooting at you...talk about feeling like a sitting duck!
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Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
Both times I went, they ask the passengers to help rotate the engines for the radial oil-in-cylinder issues. Then they tell you not to lean on the rear lower hatch (is has not special latches), don't lean against the control cables running along the inside walls (for obvious reasons), and don't find yourself standing on the bomb bay doors (STAY on the crosswalk). Otherwise, have fun. If you volunteer for "something" on the initial orientation speech, you'll get the surprise (pleasure) of sitting immediately behind the pilots on takeoff. Very fascinating watching them go the startup procedures for these radials as the instrument panel bounces all over the place on rubber mounts, and the whole thing feels like it's going to shake itself apart until it gets in the air. To think we had men (boys) in these fancy soda cans (which you could probably penetrate the skin with a pellet gun), as a way of life just mesmerizes me.
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In other words you could get right there with them as they ran up the motors instead of a hundred yards away with binoculars. It was nice to be a part of an activity in which it wasn't child-proofed so much to the point where the fun was completely sterilized. </SPAN>
They don't make it through <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
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lace w:st="on">Arkansas</st1lace> very often, but I'm always on the list when they do. Oh, and for those that aren't familiar with the Collings Foundation, they just recently completed flight tests of their ME262 (no typo here). It's a two-seat trainer that I'm assuming they will offer rides for, but I'm sure this will be a 4 figure expense. They also have an F-4, and are looking at purchasing a century fighter when they can get the DOD and/or Congress to allow it. So far they've had to fight Uncle Sam for everything they do.<o></o>
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They don't make it through <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
lace w:st="on">Arkansas</st1lace> very often, but I'm always on the list when they do. Oh, and for those that aren't familiar with the Collings Foundation, they just recently completed flight tests of their ME262 (no typo here). It's a two-seat trainer that I'm assuming they will offer rides for, but I'm sure this will be a 4 figure expense. They also have an F-4, and are looking at purchasing a century fighter when they can get the DOD and/or Congress to allow it. So far they've had to fight Uncle Sam for everything they do.<o></o>Attachments
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
My guess is that these yahoos around here don't know what it is, or the promotion of the flights is lackluster, or the low social-economic status of the state, but I've never seen over two flights per day on the two days they are here. Perhaps this is why they've only come through Arkansas twice in the last 5 years.
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
I hate to see this. As rare and invaluable as these are, one could argue they should all be in a museum, but their true beauty is the functional and operational experience.
Neal
Lifetime Supporter
I think we are down to 13. Had the pleasure of flying in this beast. One of the giants of aviation.
