[ARC5] Re: [Milsurplus] Re: [MV] Collings Foundation B17 - B24 at Pease NH Sept21 / 22

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 10:58:26 -0400 (EDT)

I took a ride on the Yankee Lady on Memorial Day this year - it was nearly
a religious experience for me.

The ARC-5/BC-348/ART-13 gear all looked authentic, with BC-366 control
boxes in appropriate places, connectors, wiring, racks, etc, intact.  The
radios were "hands-on-museum" quality - they were clean, but showed wear
from grubby fingers like mine.  The idea is to encourage people to walk
around the plane - touch the guns, radios, and so forth.  If not
operational, it looked complete enough to be (the cockpit is modern
mostly).

I took a lot of digital video with the idea in mind of getting the audio
off it for the folks that were asking about "B-17 noise" to play in the
background while using their vintage gear.  Life interfered, and I haven't
gotten to it yet.  Still have it, maybe this winter I'll get to it.

But the sight, smells, and sounds of that flight were truly amazing.
Sitting in the nose, looking over the bombsight at the spring Michigan
countryside slowly going by, or looking back over my shoulder, seeing the
props spinning and the light gleaming off the polished hub - so difficult
to put into words what I saw and felt.

I strongly encourage anyone with the time and financial means to support
these flying museums.  There simply is no other experience like it, and if
you have any appreciation for history at all, you'll realize the
uniqueness, the intensity, the singularity of it all.

The Collings foundation B-24 is the only flying B-24, and likely to be the
only one ever flying again.  It is an opportunity that should not be
missed.

Paul

On Mon, 23 Sep 2002, George Brand wrote:

> The Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run Airport near Belleville, MI has a
> beautifully restored B-17 that takes passengers up..believe it's $400 per
> person. Non-profit, covers expenses only.
>
> George
> Lewiston, MI
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
> Behalf Of Todd Bigelow - PS
> Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 9:58 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Cc: Milsurplus; ARC-5; Robert Barber
> Subject: [ARC5] Re: [Milsurplus] Re: [MV] Collings Foundation B17 - B24
> at Pease NH Sept21 / 22
>
>
>
> "J. Forster" wrote:
>
> > The Collings Foundation, located in Stow, Mass has a web site:
> >
> > http://www.collingsfoundation.org/
> >
> > The really interesting thing is that you can actually go for a 30 minute
> FLIGHT
> > in a B-17 or B-24 !!!. (Cost $350... tax deductible) See your ARC-5 or
> ART-13A
> > in it's original location  !!!  (Disclaimer...  I don't know what radio
> gear
> > they actually have on the planes)
> >
> > What a thrill !!!
> >
> > -John
>
> Absolutely, John - I flew in the B-17G 'Nine-O-Nine' back in '93, in
> formation with the B-24 'All American', dressed in my WWII Sheepskin
> coat, leather flight helmet, goggles, oxygen mask, the whole bit. What a
> blast, especially buzzing the runway at 200 or so MPH. Got some
> wonderful video (got carried away with exploring the plane though, so it
> gets boring in places) as well. Unfortunately the BC-348, BC-375 and all
> of the command gear is not hooked up and working, some of the
> accessories are missing as well. Still, it's like nothing you'll ever do
> nowadays. I took a 2mtr HT along to try to work some friends, but
> despite what you see in the movies, hearing - muchless trying to
> converse - is not easily acheived inside with all 4 engines roaring. Nor
> is it easy to move around with flight gear on, and I wasn't even wearing
> a 'chute harness or Mae West.
>
> One of the most exciting parts was time spent with the Norden bombsight
> out in the perspex nose as we flew over a reservoir. It felt as though
> you were suspended in space and would fall out if not careful. Got to
> try out most gun positions (ball-turret and tail are closed off), even
> spun the top turret around manually. Walking along the catwalk in the
> bomb bay can be unnerving, though - you can see out between the bomb bay
> doors and hear the wind whistling through.
>
> Only thing I can think of that would have added to the experience would
> have been a flight of P-51 'little friends' criss-crossing as we flew
> along.
>
> I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys old aircraft.  At the
> time I think it was costing them $2000/hr to fly, so you'll be helping
> keep the big birds flying. Phil Haskell is the man to see (if he's still
> with them). Don't let his story about the Nine-O-Nine crash-landing and
> sliding over a 100' cliff at the end of a runway scare you out of
> flying. It's a true story, but they did a fine job of rebuilding it.
>
> There's a way to get a much longer flight too, but it involves paying
> your way back home from their next destination. They also subscribe you
> to their newsletter and appearence schedule when you fly with them.
>
> 73 de Todd/'Boomer'  KA1KAQ
>