Anyone ridden on a B-17?
May 9, 2018 00:50:59 #
olddutch
Loc: Beloit, Wisconsin
Every 55 minutes a finished B-24 rolled off the assembly line at the Willow run facility in Michigan
May 9, 2018 21:08:51 #
A new poster. In 1956, I had the chance to fly in a B-29 from Houston, Texas to Veracruze. Mexico on a diving trip. The ride was great.
We were allowed to move around the plane at will. The interesting area was the nose of the aircraft. The bubble was fixed with
a wooden plateform which you could crawl out onto and lay on your stomach and look out for a great view. The area was large
enough to allow about 4 to 5 persons at a time. The travel was very loud with a great amount of vibration and no pressured
cabin. The seats were benches were on each side of the plane with seat belts. No pads or back rests, just benches. A very
interesting trip.
We were allowed to move around the plane at will. The interesting area was the nose of the aircraft. The bubble was fixed with
a wooden plateform which you could crawl out onto and lay on your stomach and look out for a great view. The area was large
enough to allow about 4 to 5 persons at a time. The travel was very loud with a great amount of vibration and no pressured
cabin. The seats were benches were on each side of the plane with seat belts. No pads or back rests, just benches. A very
interesting trip.
May 10, 2018 12:36:04 #
After checking my bank acct/future fixed expenses, I'll be most likely be booking a flight for Oshkosh week - just chatted with an EAA rep...said they start booking up a few weeks in advance and payment is required at the time of registration. Actual flight time is about 30 min out of a 45 min scheduled appt slot. Should be fun! I watched a You-Tube video of one flight.
May 11, 2018 15:38:57 #
Now that I am retired I need to Google to find rides. My first trip in a large radial engine plane was in 1965 from Seattle to Chicago. I was 17 and flew without parents. At night looking at the flames coming from the loud exhaust, the vibration, rough over the rockies, etc made for a very fun flight. I am guessing it was a DC6 but could have been a DC4. I fell in love with flying by flying in that plane. I need to ride in a radial again.
May 11, 2018 16:57:24 #
Rode a DC-4 FROM Rosey Roads PR to Norfolk VA, hope I never ride in a radial powered a/c again....but I would love a hop in a B-17, not 11 hours though.
May 11, 2018 21:45:28 #
olddutch
Loc: Beloit, Wisconsin
THooker in 1965 it would have been most likely a DC-6, Every one has their own likes, but the Music of a round
engine is as sweet as it comes, except for a V-12 rolls Merlin.
engine is as sweet as it comes, except for a V-12 rolls Merlin.
May 12, 2018 09:08:55 #
One neat thing (if you like planes) is that, at Oshkosh you don't need an alarm clock. At 6 AM engines are allowed to start - and boy, they do, especially the warbirds! You get a bunch of P-51s to go out and have fun or practice at the break of day and you can't help but wake up!! Add daily 3+ hour airshows, forums, movies, speeches and the ability to buy anything from sunglasses to turbine helicopters and you have a good time. IMHO. I've been going from time to time since the late 80s. I just bought my admission and camping tickets...will probably wait another paycheck or two before booking my B-17 ride. I'm pretty sure I'll still be able to get a seat 2 months ahead of time. If not, various B-17s make tours throughout the country. There are 7 days of bookings available during Oshkosh week.
May 13, 2018 08:31:22 #
I had a ride on the “909”, a B17 owned by the Collings Foundation. The ride was 45 minutes long, down the Jersey Shore.
Absolutely fantastic experience!! It was loud, with lots of vibration, but not unbearable. We were free to move around in the plane after takeoff, took many pics of the interior w/my cell phone with good results. The door gunners positions were open, as well as the space where the top turret had been. We were allowed to poke our head out the top while in flight, & cautioned that anything not held tightly would be blown off.
The views from the bombardier position were amazing, and l could really get a sense of what it must have been like flying through flak sitting in that bubble.
For the size of the plane, the interior space was limited, & not at all comfortable for those who had to fly missions of 8-10 hours.
The $400 is money well spent, you will enjoy every minute, so do yourself a favor & take advantage of the opportunity.
Absolutely fantastic experience!! It was loud, with lots of vibration, but not unbearable. We were free to move around in the plane after takeoff, took many pics of the interior w/my cell phone with good results. The door gunners positions were open, as well as the space where the top turret had been. We were allowed to poke our head out the top while in flight, & cautioned that anything not held tightly would be blown off.
The views from the bombardier position were amazing, and l could really get a sense of what it must have been like flying through flak sitting in that bubble.
For the size of the plane, the interior space was limited, & not at all comfortable for those who had to fly missions of 8-10 hours.
The $400 is money well spent, you will enjoy every minute, so do yourself a favor & take advantage of the opportunity.
May 13, 2018 08:49:04 #
I found out from EAA that out of the 45-minute session, one is in the air for about 24 minutes. I did a search for other rides and found that the $409 pre-booking price was the cheapest and one charged $450 for a regular seat, but $850 (!!!) for a bombardier's seat. I'm debating if I should try to borrow a lens for taking pics. I have a 17-50 and a 70-300. It'd be nice to have a wide-to-medium zoom, but I'm spending enough money Oshkosh week...I don't want to rent. ($216 for camping, $120 for admission, and $409 for the flight, plus food, gas, souvenirs etc.). I did a walk-through of Aluminum Overcast when it was at my airport a few years ago. If for some reason I miss a flight at Oshkosh, the B-17 will be making a stop at a local airshow about 45 min from me later this summer.
May 13, 2018 10:23:49 #
olddutch wrote:
THooker in 1965 it would have been most likely a DC-6, Every one has their own likes, but the Music of a round
engine is as sweet as it comes, except for a V-12 rolls Merlin.
engine is as sweet as it comes, except for a V-12 rolls Merlin.
May 16, 2018 14:26:24 #
I booked my flight a few minutes ago...it was the next to last slot available for the whole week!!!!! I thought I was doing something wrong or there was a problem with the sign-up site because I kept on punching days on the calendar and never got any time slots - until Sunday, the last day of Oshkosh. There were only 2 tickets left! I'll have to chat with someone to find out when to assemble in the warbirds area for the shuttle to Appleton. The time slot is between 0900 and 1300, but the whole experience (ground and flight) only lasts 45 minutes. I can't wait :) Aluminum Overcast is going to be about an hour away later this fall at another airshow, so if I missed Oshkosh, I'd still get another chance about 5 1/2 hrs closer.
May 16, 2018 15:52:07 #
olddutch
Loc: Beloit, Wisconsin
Lots of luck. And you will come away with a lot more respect for the guys that crewed them.
May 16, 2018 17:47:28 #
If I recall, I go through Beloit on my way up to Oshkosh (assuming I take 55-39- 47(?)). Last year and a couple other times I had to go to O'Hare to pick up passengers from Australia. Nice people (on my bucket list), but I hate going through all the stupid toll booths and it tends to be a traffic nightmare no matter what time of day you go through.
May 16, 2018 22:38:00 #
olddutch
Loc: Beloit, Wisconsin
Or you could say by Beloit. the tolls are a pain, but I worked on the road gang that built that road, and it will be a long time before I have paid enough tolls to equal what they paid me..
but it is nice driving.. I usually take 90 to Janesville pick up 26, 4 Lane past Watertown, to 151 around Waupun and back on 26 to the Southside of the Oskosh Airport that works for me... best wishes..
but it is nice driving.. I usually take 90 to Janesville pick up 26, 4 Lane past Watertown, to 151 around Waupun and back on 26 to the Southside of the Oskosh Airport that works for me... best wishes..
Jun 1, 2018 15:53:28 #
Although I got the shutter speed to fast (props stopped) this is the exact plane I will be riding on in just under two months. I shot it last year, on July 29th, 2017 at Oshkosh, the same date to the year I'll be taking the flight - Saturday vs Sunday...I just noticed the date as I was working this pic on PSE. I took a ground self-tour of the plane when it was at my airport a few years or so ago.
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