B-17 Sighting!

[PRB]

Was out mowing the grass. Saw large plane from corner of my eye, looked up... B-17G at low altitude. Woooo!! Aluminum finish with blue and yellow chevron marking under the left wing. Turned off mower to listen to magnificent music from four radials. Dang that's good stuff!

 

[Trans_23]

I got a great look of a B-24 flying low over I-294 last year on my way up to Wisconsin. I have no idea where he was going to or headed from but it was only a couple thousand feet AGL.

 

[Wittpilot]

Paul,

Judging by your info on the left there, (KSUS) you saw Liberty Belle today... They are at Spirit of St. Louis Airport giving rides all this weekend... If you get a chance to head out that way, do yourself a favor and check her out... And if you want to treat yourself to something nice, buy yourself a ticket to a ride of a lifetime.... If not, then just show up and watch her fly... Nothing in the world like hearing a B-17 fly over....

-witt

Also, We will be in Indy on the weekend of the 4th, and then we will be in Columbus the following weekend... Hopefully I will be there most of the time they are giving rides on teh 11th & 12th in Cbus.... Please come out and see us!

 

[PRB]

Witt!! I owe you one, buddy! It was indeed Liberty Belle. By the time I got there, the ship was in flight, the last for today. But (but) I got me a seat for tomorrow, 12:45, 12:15 mission brief! Whoohoo!

 

[Wittpilot]

Paul,
That is fantastic to hear... Looks like the weather was great today! I can promise you you will have the ride of a lifetime if you have never flown in one before... I think that sets the Liberty Belle apart from other B-17's offering rides, is the crew... Every comment that I have recieved or heard, is about the crew...I don't know who is flying this weekend, only next weekend...but they are all real top-notch guys...

Make sure you take a lot of pictures... I always tell people no matter how many you take, you always regret not taking more...

-witt

 

[Curtis P40]

You do realize that's it going to take 6 or 7 days to get that Big Grin off your face.
Have fun.. the nose is a blast.
Curt

 

[dcc]

that look slike tons of fun, Paul. Looking forward to seeing pictures from the flight. Wish I could get you my portable digital audio recorder to take along.

- dcc

 

[PRB]

Two things that struck me about that B-17: 1) The flight deck is tiny!! Every time I see the inside of one of these I marvel at how small it really is in there, and wonder what it must have been like at 25,000 feet dodging FW-190s from that tiny flight deck. The center post of the windshield can’t be much more than six inches high. If you play FS on a 42 inch wide monitor, your FS B-17 cockpit is probably bigger than the real one! And 2) the inside of that plane, especially the flight deck, is spotless and shiny. It looks like new. Awesome. My crappy photos don’t do it justice. My camera holds about 200 pics with the extra memory stick. I dumped all the files just now to make room… Dcc, rgr on the sound recording – that would be cool. As she was coming back to the airport, the first sound you pick up is a very “bassy” rumble. There was very little activity at the airport when it landed, so it was very quiet, so we got the full sound treatment as it flew over, circled, and then landed. The sound of the tires screeching as the mains touched was quite loud. Very cool.

 

[Willy]

I'll never get the chance to fly in a Stratoliner, but a B-17 would be close enough .

Get plenty of good pics for us P!

 

[Lionheart]

They are awesome birds....

You are blessed Paul! Have fun up there.


I am sure there are ointments and medications that will get that grin off your face if its stuck for too long.. I think the Chinese have some good Accupuncture techniques that help that area...

:d

<-- picture from Kung Fu Panda, during accupuncture, mishap and found main facial nerve cluster

 

[Mithrin]

Have fun man, that's going to be a great experience!

 

[Bomber_12th]

Paul, I'm looking forward to your report back from your flight tomorrow! I'd imagine that it will be hard for you to sleep at all tonight! I just happened to see it in my neck of the woods a couple of weeks back, when it was in St. Paul, but unfortunately never got photos of it.

I too have been surprised in recent years, as to how scaled down the actual cockpits are of these warbirds when you see them, as compared to how they look in the sim. I was able to poke my head into the cockpit of a Mustang last summer for a while, and it indeed looked tiny after spending nearly a year focused on enlarged photos and building it for the sim.

 

[Snuffy]

I envy you PRB ... something I've always wanted to do ...

Congrats Man. Enjoy your day tomorrow ...

OH! Take a camera and you know ... take some internal flying pictures for us.

Thanks PRB!

:ernae:

 

[stansdds]

I've flown in two WW II era bombers, a B-17G and a B-25J. Both were great experiences that I doubt I'll ever forget. To anyone who has to opportunity to go up in a classic aircraft I say "go!" You won't regret it and one day the opportunity may no longer be available.

 

[Wittpilot]

the inside of that plane, especially the flight deck, is spotless and shiny. It looks like new. Awesome. My crappy photos don’t do it justice.

You have to remember Paul, people consider this the 'newest' B-17 out there... It's restoration was finished in '04... I remember the weekend I had my first ride she had just 100 hours on the airframe...

-witt


Waiting to see those pics when you get back!!

 

[PRB]

And it's a beautiful day too!

 

[TomSteber]

I wonder if he got any sleep?

 

[Quicksand]

It's doubtful. Some guys have all the luck!....

 

[Daveroo]

its 10:12pst....he should be done wiff his flight?....waiting impatienly.......

 

[Snuffy]

3:55 pm EST here ... not a peep ... c'mon!