OT: Bombers over the house!

Damn, would love to see that. I used to go to the air shows every year and the P-51 is my all time favorite airplane.

Ed, The Collings foundation is not too far from you. Its in Stow, MA most likely about an hour from you. We've also got the NE Air Museum in CT as well. Although a static display there's a restored B-29A inside.

I know an airline pilot who was in Florida ealier this year at an airport where key could "purchase" a ride in a 2 seat P-51. He asked if he could fly and they told him yes but he'd need to have an instructor ride with him. So he did and they did and his 24 minute flight cost him $2400 Must have been a good ride...

The Commemorative Air Force (Addison, TX) was here with a B17 and B24 a couple years ago...there was a B24 training base here during the war that graduated roughly a third of the command pilots.

The silos on the farm were a landmark waypoint back then; was outside when the made a pass and waggled over the barn; the silos which were directly behind it were taken down 10 yr ago or so after one was rotated and damaged by a small tornado a number of years ago...they didn't bring one unfortunately, but they've got three P-51's flying I believe...I'm like Ed, they're the kewlest ever... :)

I'm less than an hour from the EAA museum and have been to a couple of their annual fly-ins. If you love this stuff...it needs to go on your bucket list!

Thank, I'll check them out They do have something coming up

I've been to the museum, but it has been quite a while. Time to go back.

I've seen photos and magazine coverage of it. Looks like a great time. It has been 35 years now, but when I lived in Philly I used to go to the Reading Air Show. There was everything from corporate jets to some of the EAA stuff there. Also got to see Bob Hoover looping the Rockwell Aero Commander dead stick.

I've seen some of those locally here in Tulsa. I would love to get one of the rides, but they are kind of expensive.

Bill

The schedule is here:

They are based in MA, they cover a lot of the country, so I'd think they would be going somewhere near you. They are here every year.

They are doing those rides here too. Friday I stopped by and saw the P-51 return with a guy who was at least in his 70s who had gone for the ride. The bomber rides are $450 but you don't get to take the controls and are with a group.

On 08/28/2016 8:12 AM, Bill Gill wrote: ...

You'd not think that if you were the one filling up the gas tank at the pump... :)

And paying the maintenance bills and all the other expenses. The crew has an interesting job, but it probably gets boring after awhile, traveling from one town to another all summer. The B-17 pilot looks like he's in his 70s. Last year I saw him tearing apart one of the engines to replace an alternator, so I presume he must be a licensed mechanic too. The co-pilot looks to be about 40, a woman who was a military fighter pilot, now she does this.

Surely...I don't know what these outfits get for appearance $$, but it surely isn't cheap keeping them going--well worth doing and I'm surely glad they do, but it's a big investment in both time and monies...

A retired and current group of employees at (now Spirit Aerosystems, formerly) Boeing in Wichita just finished a restoration and had first takeoff of a B-29...

The Confederate Air Force (now politically corrected up) flies into the Ft Myers area at least once a year. The thing that first impressed me was how small a B-17 actually is. As a kid I always imagined these as huge planes, just because of their reputation I suppose. It is half the size of a BUFF, that I had seen.

That's good to know. Sounds like there are only two flying. I think when I saw FiFi here last year it was the only one still flying.

There was a documentary on TV a few years ago, I think it was NOVA. They followed a recovery/restoration crew that had found a B-29 that made an emergency landing in the 50s way up in Greenland or similar, someplace frozen and cold.

Actually, I just googled and found it:

They had to dig it out, fly in a bulldozer, put new engines on it, plow a runway. It took two full seasons of work, one of the mechanics had a medical emergencey and died. At the end of the final season they had it running and airworthy. Last step was to fly it out. As they taxied to the runway, a generator in the back broke loose, gasoline spilled out and she was totally destroyed in the fire. That was so sad.

A stunning site is when you get a chance to see some of these planes in close proximity and can see how far and how fast technology advanced. A few years ago at the Air Force base here, they had a lot of stuff on display at the same time. You could see a B-17 next to a B-52. That's about fifteen years of evolution, but the difference in size, payload, capability is immense. They had a B1-B close by too, a C-17 you could walk through.

Or at the Air and Space Museum in DC, you can see the Wright Brothers plane and a B-29, an SR-71. Incredible how in just 40 years we went from the first flight to the B-29, and then in another 20 to the SR-71. That SR-71 set a world record, just over an hour from LA to DC when it made it's final flight to the museum.

The Yankee Air Force (I believe they've renamed themselves, but I'll go to my grave thinking of them that way) had their air show last weekend.

I always know when the B-17 is flying; those engines make a characteristic sound.

Cindy Hamilton

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I recall the discovery; don't know that knew what outcome was. That is too bad to lose such a find after all the effort.

I think the link to the "Rosie the Riveter" gal who's now 90 who actually worked on Doc when built originally is just so neat...I'm not sure whether there were any others on that original assembly line on the restoration crew that were still able to be at the rollout or not.

In addition were some really great pilots too. Most of us with an interest in flying know of Bob Hoover, but there is more to the story than I knew before reading this. quite a guy.

We live in the general flight path of a small airport and have gotten to see all sorts of old aircraft fly over us. It's a sight to see for sure!