Something you will never see again

[Oss]

There is a group that flys around the country with their restored B17 B24 and P51

They came to Westchester Airport last summer and I rode over and went thru the bombers

I could have gone up in the P51 for about 5 grand but I didnt have it on me

Anyways This pic which has the WTC on the left may put the gnat in your eye 

[¿spoom]

Sweet! They were at the EAA Fly-In in WI and I got to see them there. You could peak into the two bombers, but no tours. You in Westchester County? I lived in Port Chester in the 60's.

[alph]

it seems that they make it up here to Eau Claire every other summer.  they were here last year.  i use to work at the airport a long time ago and i was able to get up into 'em, that tail gunner had better not be Claustrophobic!

[Duct Tape]

There is a group in Galveston Texas called the Confederate Air Force that is dedicated to WWII aircraft.  There is a museum on the island and they fly regularly.  They put on a show each year during the Houston Air Show at Ellington Field.  They reenact the attack on Pearl Harbor and other famous air battles.

[ricoman]

Back in the early 70's, I worked at the local airport for a small commuter airline that went belly up.
For a while I ran a fuel operation and aircraft storage in our old hanger. We rented space to a local compnay that remanufactured
P-51's and sold them to the Indonesian Air Force and some others similar. The guy who owned that company (also owned the local paper) also owned a flight operation serving the Turks and Caicos islands with DC 4-M's (Rolls Royce Merlin powered just like the 51's.
His chief pilot had the "chore" of excercising the owner's 51 (which was stored in our hanger)at every week to 10 days. It was a tandem (probably for training) and as luck would have it-I was invited for a ride (maybe I hinted my butt off). Had never been in a tail dragger before and marveled at the zig-zag trip down the taxiway so the pilot could see where he was going.
About an hour ride which I will never forget! We did loops, barrel rolls, everything but an immilman (sp?).
Took days to get rid of the smile!
It is good to see the old stuff being preserved and used.

[BamaDrifter64]

The B24 & B17 came to Decatur, AL a few years ago.  For $10, they allowed you to tour both airplanes.  It was amazing to go through, or maybe I should say, "squeeze" through those airplanes.  Guys back during WWII must have been much smaller than we are now - or probably didn't have as much junk food as we do now!     I got to see them fly over when they left - now there was a sight and sound!

Dave

[PharmBoy]

You can see all this and much, much more the last week in July at Oshkosh, Wisconsin each year.  The Experimental Aircraft Association sponsors their "AirVenture" fly-in there each year and it is the largest aviation fly-in in the world and lasts for nine days.  Great fun and education for those interested in aviation.  Also, they have a great aviation museum on the east side of I-41 just south of town which stays open year round.  It tells the story of aviation from its infancy and has many, many full sized airplanes sitting around and hanging from the ceiling, including WWII fighters, early racing planes, and planes of historic importance, such as a full sized working model of the first privately funded trip into space.  It is definitely worth the stop...JTL

[Gear Jammer]

There is a group that flys around the country with their restored B17 B24 and P51

They came to Westchester Airport last summer and I rode over and went thru the bombers

I could have gone up in the P51 for about 5 grand but I didnt have it on me

Anyways This pic which has the WTC on the left may put the gnat in your eye 

While outside working on the Valk yesterday ( now it's Valk related),  I heard a low rumbling noise from a low flying airplane.  Not unusual to have low flying aircraft overhead here, since Hooks Airport (Tomball Texas) is just S.E. of me.  Looked up, and there was the B-17 on final approach for Hooks.   15 minutes or so later, here comes the B-24 circling in a wide arc for runway alignment.  Always a pleasure to look up and see these planes.   It would have been a real thrill if the P-51 Mustang had made a low level pass as well.  But 2 out of 3 is good for me!   

[RP#62]

Just up the street from us is Falcon Field, home of the Arizona wing of the CAF.  We stopped by one day and they were doing maintenance on their B17 and they let us crawl around inside.  Crewing this was definitely a young man's task.  There is not much room to move around, but its a beautiful machine.
-RP

[PharmBoy]

Hey RP, I've patted that old girl on the butt a few times.  The first time was well over 20 years ago.  She used to be a regular at the Oshkosh fly-in.  That was quite an airplane for its day...JTL