Up we go, into the wild blue yonder
Oct 9, 2016 08:37:34 #
For those old enough to remember the song, here is the plane that took you there. A B17 taking off yesterday. Nikon D810 handheld with a 80-200 2.8 non-VR.
Oct 9, 2016 08:40:05 #
Oct 9, 2016 08:54:14 #
Oct 9, 2016 08:54:58 #
Oct 9, 2016 09:25:51 #
The only thing wrong with your wonderful picture is that we all get to see only ONE shot. Please if there are more, please post them. That 800 is also a great asset in getting fine pictures.
Oct 9, 2016 09:42:37 #
nikonbug wrote:
Having spent five years in the Air Force I remember the song but my time was well after the B-17. More like the B-47 which I have a couple photos of when I was stationed at my first AF assignment. For those old enough to remember the song,
I posted the photos on UHH several years ago and can be seen here if interested.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-61102-1.html
Oct 9, 2016 09:54:23 #
OK, here is another effort. I had tried to post a few more, but could not get it to work. These are all handheld with no VR, so some may be soft when expanded.
Oct 9, 2016 10:00:48 #
Responding to the pics of the B47:
This was the first pure jet bomber of the US Air Force. It also was the first bomber to use the swept wing technology gleaned from the Germans at the end of WWII. These atom bomb carrying bombers were faster than most fighter jets when first came out, but they had to deal with two big problems. The first problem was getting off the ground on existing runways. They used JATO rocket motors that attached to the tail area to help get them airborne before they ran out of runway. The second big problem was landing them on those same short runways because they had to land so fast because of the swept wings. The solution was to deploy drag shoots that popped out the the tail after all of the wheels were back on the runway.
This was the first pure jet bomber of the US Air Force. It also was the first bomber to use the swept wing technology gleaned from the Germans at the end of WWII. These atom bomb carrying bombers were faster than most fighter jets when first came out, but they had to deal with two big problems. The first problem was getting off the ground on existing runways. They used JATO rocket motors that attached to the tail area to help get them airborne before they ran out of runway. The second big problem was landing them on those same short runways because they had to land so fast because of the swept wings. The solution was to deploy drag shoots that popped out the the tail after all of the wheels were back on the runway.
Oct 9, 2016 10:04:37 #
Aluminum Overcast flies into the Ogden, Utah Hinkley airport every summer. When they take people up for rides, the plane often flies right over my home on its way back to the airport. Thank you so much for posting these additional pictures. I really enjoy seeing them.
Oct 9, 2016 13:06:55 #
R. Bush wrote:
Responding to the pics of the B47:
That is the strangest looking B47 I have ever seen....
Oct 9, 2016 18:21:38 #
tinplater wrote:
I believe he was responding to the link I posted in this forum earlier this morning. That was a B47.That is the strangest looking B47 I have ever seen....
Oct 10, 2016 08:59:33 #
nikonbug wrote:
For those old enough to remember the song,
Nice photos of the B-17 Flying Fortress. After serving 27 years in the US Air Force as a pilot, I am young enough to remember the song which is still the official song of the USAF. Obtw, the first line off the song is "Off we go into the wild blue yonder". Cheers.
Oct 10, 2016 09:03:49 #
I got to ride in this very airplane (press ride) when it visited Amarillo a few years ago. I was stunned at how vulnerable it felt to be in something so thin-skinned. I couldn't imagine the fear of being in one with flak all around and enemy fighters acking.
Thanks for posting and reminding me that "The Greatest Generation" term is truly accurate.
Thanks for posting and reminding me that "The Greatest Generation" term is truly accurate.
Oct 10, 2016 10:11:08 #
Cape Codder
Loc: Cape Cod
My dad was a waist gunner and radio man in a B17. He flew out of England. He took me to the Royal Air Museum in Duxford England where there is a museum of just American planes (also lots of other planes, British, etc.). Like newsguygeorge, I too was amazed at how thin the skin on those planes was! The air force for its size lost more men proportionately lost more men than any other service. About a third of the planes never came back from any mission.
Dad said they were issued flying suits lined with sheepskin and had electric wires (same principle as an electric blanket). The suits plugged into outlets on the plane, but were often not connected as the cords got in the way of movement around the plane. On one of the flights one of his fellow crew members wet his pants and got electric burns all up and down his legs.
Towards the end of his life (the last few years) Dad would yell in his sleep. When he was awakened, he said he was dreaming about the war.
Indeed, the greatest generation!
Dad said they were issued flying suits lined with sheepskin and had electric wires (same principle as an electric blanket). The suits plugged into outlets on the plane, but were often not connected as the cords got in the way of movement around the plane. On one of the flights one of his fellow crew members wet his pants and got electric burns all up and down his legs.
Towards the end of his life (the last few years) Dad would yell in his sleep. When he was awakened, he said he was dreaming about the war.
Indeed, the greatest generation!
Oct 10, 2016 11:01:14 #
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