[Milsurplus] Bomber Crew Fantasy Camp

[Kenneth G. Gordon]

On 18 Sep 2015 at 22:54, Joe Connor via Milsurplus wrote:

> The tours of the old bombers are very useful if you like to study WWII history.
> I always pictured the interiors of the B-17 and B-24 as very roomy. I guess the
> old movies made them appear that way. When I finally got inside them, I was
> surprised at how cramped they were. For example, in a B-17, I stood on the
> catwalk over the bomb bays and was simultaneously able to touch both side of the
> fuselage. Also, with all the hydraulic lines, oxygen lines and electrical lines
> running down the side of the fuselage, it was difficult to see how they could
> sustain much battle damage without these lines being ruptured. Knowing about the
> interior of the bombers makes it a lot easier to understand the accounts that
> appear in the books (e.g. why so many crew members were unable to bail out of
> disabled ships). Joe Connor

When I first saw a real B-24 at a very small air-show in Topeka, Kansas in 
about 1980, I was amazed at how small it was.

The P-51 which was the "little friend" was almost the same size.

The P-38, "White Lightning" was there also. That's where I learned the a 
P-38 with operable turbo-chargers was silent. The ground crew told me that 
they had to be very careful to not walk into a prop.

The P-38 was warming up on the ground and I could hear absolutely 
nothing: the engines were completely silent.

Ken W7EKB