Milsurp After Hours

This coming weekend another B-17 will be in Tucson. Suddenly there are more B-17s falling out
of the sky here than a Ploesti raid. A couple of weeks ago "Sentimental Journey", that belongs to the
CAF, was here with the B-29 "FIFI".
Now the B-17 "Memphis Belle", that belongs to the Libery Foundation, will be selling rides for $450.
Although not the actual "Memphis Belle", which is in storage in unrestored condition at the Air Force Museum
at Dayton , Ohio, it is the one used in the 1980 movie of the same name.
If I get a chance I'll go and check it out and take some photos, but a $450 ride is not in the budget....

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Of all the times I have gone to see WWII aircraft, this B-17 has got to be the one plane
that most needed to be cleaned up. It had oil spots all over the wings and body like I have
never seen before. Granted, you are going to get oil flying from those radial engines, but
others seem to find a way to keep the planes clean. The whole underside was just grimey
and needed to be cleaned. The inside was in better shape, but still not as nice as some
others I have seen. Even the asphalt was an oily mess all around the plane, I was backing
up about 30' from the nose, and almost fell on my butt when I stepped into a 2' wide
puddle of oil. Just a little disappointed that they don't take better care of a priceless
relic from WWII. Anyway, enough whining from me.
Didn't get many pics of cockpit and none of upper turret because there was a big group
of people in there at same time as me. Well, as big a group (5 or 6) as will fit into the flight deck
of a B-17.......
Even though I think they need to work on cosmetics, you still can't beat a day of
crawling through a WWII bomber, it was great.......


Well, I knew Joe would want some pics, so I took a few (71) for him.
As usual, Photobucket mixed them all up while downloading, not sure if it's
me or Photobucket that is screwing up..........


http://smg.beta.photobucket.com/user/ni ... 7144693954

.

They charge $450 for a ride in a seventy year old plane with oil leaking out of it all over the place? I don't think they could pay me $450 to ride in it, much less me pay them. But I know you airplane guys see things differently.

Cheers Vern, you're a Gent.

How do you find the new look photobucket? I don't like it and doubt if I am going to stick with it.

Joe

I have never liked Photobucket, only use it when I have to, like a very large group
of photos to post.

On Robert's other site I posted about how I love airplanes, thought I would post
it here, too. We were talking about Eagle Flights in Nam, helicopter flights that would
drop us off in the middle of nowhere looking for a fight with the VC or NVA. They
were fun flights but sometimes nasty landings if there were actually gooks around....

"Those flights were, to me, some of the most fun I had over there. Although jumping out
wasn't always fun. I loved to fly in anything, and still do, except the big jet liners are
more like riding a bus. I've ridden in a seaplane, open cockpit bi-plane, plane so small
that my shoulders touched each side, 3 kinds of choppers, twin piston engine cargo,
big jet passenger and cargo, and a WWII bomber. Even sat in the co-pilot seat and
actually flown a single and twin engine, but never did a take off or landing.
Yes, I love to fly, would have gotten a pilot's license but it seemed that wife, kids, and
life in general always seemed to get in the way.
But I remember my favorite spot on those flights was sitting on the floor with my legs
hanging out and holding on to the back of the pilots seat, my pants would get dry on
a short hop and a longer flight would almost dry my boots....... "

.

Photobucket.......aaaaaaaaarrrrrrgghhh. Recommend one, please.

I love to fly also.
Have only been up once in a chopper and that was in the clear pod on one of those little ones that you see in MASH. Funny feeling lying there and looking down.

Have been up in a Tiger Moth a few times (open bi-plane), Cessnas a lot and once rode (illegally) in the hopper of a crop duster; it was a quick way to get home at the time, once was enough.
Have flown a Moth and Cessna but also never took off or landed.

A few flights in DC3s, Korea to Japan and return and a very memorable flight in one in the Northern Territory, from Darwin to a number of cattle stations on a supply run back in the early 1950s.

"That's a landing strip?"

Biggest piston engine one was a DC 6B from Sydney to Iwakuni, Japan in 1953, thereafter it was jets.

Don't know if you have heard of the Sally B here in the UK its the only flying B17 in Europe its based at Duxford in Cambridgeshire .
http://www.sallyb.org.uk/index.php

Duxford is part of the Imperial War Museum group , not only aircraft but armoured vehicles as well .

As for photobucket I ditched it last year and went to Imageshack which I found to be easy to use .

Dave

Great images and story.
As to Photobucket, well - I was not very happy with the new version BUT, having signed up to ImageShak and tried it a few times I have returned to Photobucket and bitten the bullet. It's no problem now, once I got used to the new format and with over 1200 images already posted I shall continue with it.

Thats my problem Duncan, all my foties are hosted on PB and it will be a chew on moving and re posting everything.

Joe

Flew on a few interesting aircraft myself, RAF Bristol Brittania, Vickers VC 10, Westland Wessex helicopter.

Variety of commercial jets, light aircraft and helicopters and also had a few trips in the DeHavilland Rapides at Duxford.

I love flying but I just can't be arsed with all the chew on and rip off taxes we have to put up with these days on holiday flights.

Joe