You are never too old to pay tribute to those who fought for our freedom...
You are old when....
The B-17 Flying Fortress was an Army Air Corps heavy-duty bomber from World War II. This four-engine aircraft flew strategic bombing missions over Europe armed with .50 caliber machine guns and five thousand pounds of bombs. 13,000 B-17’s were produced over the course of the war, of which only 13 still are airworthy today. This aircraft with the 303rd bomb group flew 116 missions during World War II. Her home is at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, TX. Once the "Thunderbird" was airborne, passengers were allowed to move around the plane. The ride was like none other. There was no immediate pull back on the throttle for a g-force, face wrenching upward plunge to the upper atmosphere....but a gentle lift of both tail and wings simultaneously....a level, upward floating effect. It was, without a doubt, the best plane ride ever....
Here are few photo shots from different positions inside the aircraft. Click on the photo to enlarge for a better view!
This is where I REALLY wanted to ride... in the lower ball turret, which is located immediately aft of the bomb bay. The operator would board this cage before takeoff and would have no access to the rest of the plane during flight. So, even if he wanted to escape incoming fighters, he could not get out of the cage!
The pilot, a former crop duster, informed me that in order to ride in this "special location" I had to sign a special waver... But wait, it gets better! This would be another waver on top of the FIRST waver I had to sign just to board the plane. You see, in order to ride in the lower ball turret, one must be prepared to DIE if the pilot has to emergency land the aircraft on its belly. If the landing gear fails, the pilot must first jettison the turret cage!
My guess is that the lower ball turret gunner was also the primary inspector and repairman of the landing gear!
REMEMBER: Very brave men climbed into this hole 116 times....
Hmmmm..... After thinking about signing the second waver for about a nano-second, I asked if he could possibly jettison the cage over water first?
Uh... No.....
See the tail gunners position? He had to CRAWL into it. It wouldn't be a whole lot of fun going backwards all day and having an intimate view of enemy fighters diving at you. Notice the twin barrels in the tail? You are not allowed to touch them when the plane is on the ground because the acid in your hands will etch the metal over time. Thank goodness the boys at the Lone Star Flight Museum keep them well oiled....
And last, but not least....here is how the ride looked from the air. You could see daylight in a lot of places in the plane, especially around the bomb chamber!
1. "Getting lucky" means finding your car in the parking lot after a short trip to Wally World.
2. An "all nighter" means not having to get up to use the bathroom.
3. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
4. "Getting a little action" means you don't need to take any fiber today.
5. Having your wife go bra-less because it pulls all the wrinkles out of her face.
6. Your sweetie says, "Let's go upstairs AND make love," and your answer to that is...
"Pick one; I can't do both!"
ba Dum pum... Ok folks, my stand up comedy act is now over.... but don't go home yet!
On a more serious note...and speaking of OLD....see the WW2 plane below....
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I crossed an item off my "bucket list" at the "Wings Over Houston Air Show" two Saturday's ago! YES...I actually rode in a B-17 G bomber. Thrilling to say the least....
Here's a ground pounders view of my latest ride....
2. An "all nighter" means not having to get up to use the bathroom.
3. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
4. "Getting a little action" means you don't need to take any fiber today.
5. Having your wife go bra-less because it pulls all the wrinkles out of her face.
6. Your sweetie says, "Let's go upstairs AND make love," and your answer to that is...
"Pick one; I can't do both!"
ba Dum pum... Ok folks, my stand up comedy act is now over.... but don't go home yet!
On a more serious note...and speaking of OLD....see the WW2 plane below....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I crossed an item off my "bucket list" at the "Wings Over Houston Air Show" two Saturday's ago! YES...I actually rode in a B-17 G bomber. Thrilling to say the least....
Here's a ground pounders view of my latest ride....
Pretty cool.... As my friend, Gary Schroeder, Colonel, Ret. US Airforce, would say..."It's all about lifties and thrusties..."
The B-17 Flying Fortress was an Army Air Corps heavy-duty bomber from World War II. This four-engine aircraft flew strategic bombing missions over Europe armed with .50 caliber machine guns and five thousand pounds of bombs. 13,000 B-17’s were produced over the course of the war, of which only 13 still are airworthy today. This aircraft with the 303rd bomb group flew 116 missions during World War II. Her home is at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, TX. Once the "Thunderbird" was airborne, passengers were allowed to move around the plane. The ride was like none other. There was no immediate pull back on the throttle for a g-force, face wrenching upward plunge to the upper atmosphere....but a gentle lift of both tail and wings simultaneously....a level, upward floating effect. It was, without a doubt, the best plane ride ever....
Here are few photo shots from different positions inside the aircraft. Click on the photo to enlarge for a better view!
Here we could see the view forward from the bombardier's position in the nose. The famous Norden bombsight with which you could "drop a bomb in a pickle barrel" is in the center. This is the prime view spot, 180 degrees!
Up and aft of the bombardier are the pilot and co-pilot. Here you can see the instrument panel and associated controls. Complex perhaps for the day, but basic compared to a modern aircraft. The netting is to keep us groundies out.
Up and aft of the bombardier are the pilot and co-pilot. Here you can see the instrument panel and associated controls. Complex perhaps for the day, but basic compared to a modern aircraft. The netting is to keep us groundies out.
Right behind the pilots seats is the top turret platform. Just like "Star Wars" it pivots and rotates 360 degrees for coverage on top.
This is where I REALLY wanted to ride... in the lower ball turret, which is located immediately aft of the bomb bay. The operator would board this cage before takeoff and would have no access to the rest of the plane during flight. So, even if he wanted to escape incoming fighters, he could not get out of the cage!The pilot, a former crop duster, informed me that in order to ride in this "special location" I had to sign a special waver... But wait, it gets better! This would be another waver on top of the FIRST waver I had to sign just to board the plane. You see, in order to ride in the lower ball turret, one must be prepared to DIE if the pilot has to emergency land the aircraft on its belly. If the landing gear fails, the pilot must first jettison the turret cage!
My guess is that the lower ball turret gunner was also the primary inspector and repairman of the landing gear!
REMEMBER: Very brave men climbed into this hole 116 times....
Hmmmm..... After thinking about signing the second waver for about a nano-second, I asked if he could possibly jettison the cage over water first?
Uh... No.....
See the tail gunners position? He had to CRAWL into it. It wouldn't be a whole lot of fun going backwards all day and having an intimate view of enemy fighters diving at you. Notice the twin barrels in the tail? You are not allowed to touch them when the plane is on the ground because the acid in your hands will etch the metal over time. Thank goodness the boys at the Lone Star Flight Museum keep them well oiled....
And last, but not least....here is how the ride looked from the air. You could see daylight in a lot of places in the plane, especially around the bomb chamber!"BOMBS AWAY!"
Wanna go for a ride? Click here to see what it was like:
Click here to see what it was like to be a ball turret gunner:
After I de-planed and stood in awe as the B-17 took its final fly-by, thoughts of those who served our country in this "FLYING FORTRESS" filled my mind. This final link is my salute to those heroes living and passed....and to say that I am PROUD to be an American...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvUoO9zi3kw&feature=related
One down on the "bucket list" ....
What to do, what to do...what will I do next?
One down on the "bucket list" ....
What to do, what to do...what will I do next?
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