tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post2348869161683071706..comments2024-03-29T04:38:28.940-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: Nine O NineOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-69935296247607044802015-04-15T14:42:33.886-07:002015-04-15T14:42:33.886-07:00I wish they'd have had the ball turret open, j...I wish they'd have had the ball turret open, just to have been able to stick my head in. My office mate's grandfather was a ball gunner. I got to meet him and he was a very small guy (with VERY large brass ones!).juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-53238044260166485332015-04-15T13:40:45.494-07:002015-04-15T13:40:45.494-07:00Went thru a B-17G at Bowman Field, Louisville, Ky ...Went thru a B-17G at Bowman Field, Louisville, Ky circa 1980. We were first ones there day before it opened to public so the four of us had it pretty much to ourselves. Tight fit indeed!virgil xenophonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14577165785872035948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-3072387936244365822015-04-15T12:20:47.226-07:002015-04-15T12:20:47.226-07:00Thank you, Sir!Thank you, Sir!juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-5159405900173471572015-04-15T00:34:37.647-07:002015-04-15T00:34:37.647-07:00A fine post.A fine post.HMS Defianthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10024721130102173694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-16731765685854689712015-04-14T16:09:04.003-07:002015-04-14T16:09:04.003-07:00I'll bet those time looked a lot like the pict...I'll bet those time looked a lot like the picture taken out the nose. I wonder if he'd have gone back up if offered the opportunity. It's impressive that he was able to look back with a sense of humor.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-61601043678156805342015-04-14T14:02:17.124-07:002015-04-14T14:02:17.124-07:00Great memories Juvat! My B-17 story is a ride on t...Great memories Juvat! My B-17 story is a ride on the Liberty Belle some 6-7 years ago, before the fire certainly. As I stood in the shade of the wing there was a retired AF WWII pilot with many runs over Germany in his past, sitting in the shade as well. He asked me how much they were charging me to ride on that aircraft. I replied $430.00 and he said: "There was a time when I'd have paid that much to get OFF that aircraft."Louhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14860342410219012525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-64424955018786915972015-04-14T09:33:23.492-07:002015-04-14T09:33:23.492-07:00High praise indeed!High praise indeed!juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-85919437224260853402015-04-14T05:11:55.394-07:002015-04-14T05:11:55.394-07:00Ah gee, thanks Lewis. Ever the diplomat.
Glad to ...Ah gee, thanks Lewis. Ever the diplomat.<br /><br />Glad to have you stop by, adds some class to the joint.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-38763533331452619412015-04-13T20:46:21.377-07:002015-04-13T20:46:21.377-07:00You have the best looking, most fun and interestin...You have the best looking, most fun and interesting blog on the web!DiploMadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02316439950882822419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-22055987557744792952015-04-13T19:39:22.831-07:002015-04-13T19:39:22.831-07:00Oh wow! That means making the transit to the cock...Oh wow! That means making the transit to the cockpit in an emergency even more "special". Even at my sveltest (which was a long time ago), I don't think I'd have fit with a chute on.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-89042723306803594592015-04-13T19:03:12.372-07:002015-04-13T19:03:12.372-07:00According to one of the former crewdogs I talked t...According to one of the former crewdogs I talked to when they were in the DC area, there wasn't a rail. Just the two braces, which were mainly for the Ordys to hang off of when they were loading bombs.Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-10274328729731369652015-04-13T13:31:15.342-07:002015-04-13T13:31:15.342-07:00It was only about 6 inches wide in the B-17, but t...It was only about 6 inches wide in the B-17, but the bomb bay doors looked quite a bit more substantial. The B-24's doors looked like you could drop the bombs open or shut without much difference in accuracy.<br /><br />According to the literature at the airplane, that P-51 did have a Merlin.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-75773500500659620752015-04-13T13:12:27.793-07:002015-04-13T13:12:27.793-07:00That (with pics) would make a very fine blog post!...That (with pics) would make a very fine blog post!juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-10394934146177288432015-04-13T12:23:49.449-07:002015-04-13T12:23:49.449-07:00What really impressed me about those guys was the ...What really impressed me about those guys was the catwalk across the bomb bay - I went on their B24 - the thing was maybe a foot wide and fall off that ....Have you seen the remake of the Memphis Belle (about 1990) - Irony that Katheryn Wyler (daughter of the director Wm who made the first one during WW2) - she was the producer. Really shows you the life of a bomber crew in the 8th or 15th AAF (I just learned in 1943 they went from "Army Air Corp" to "Army Air Force" <br /><br />That P51C - I think that had the Merlin engine - but the rarest of the rare. Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05720206407574457665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-54370291991909412192015-04-13T08:46:49.600-07:002015-04-13T08:46:49.600-07:00They had the queue set up to go in the front hatch...They had the queue set up to go in the front hatch and out the back primarily for crowd control, although that was the only way to see the front end. I think boarding for the flight was via the back hatch which you can see on the left in the waist gun shot. That would have been very easy to get in and out of. So, given the opportunity, I wouldn't let the cramped transit stand in the way.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-41805732034430824242015-04-13T07:54:21.222-07:002015-04-13T07:54:21.222-07:00Would willingly pay for a ride in one if I could g...Would willingly pay for a ride in one if I could get in it (obese and bad knees). Once rode in the right seat of a PB4Y-2 converted fire bomber. Those things are cramped.Well Seasoned Foolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670165728759453075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-18259770369988345972015-04-13T07:14:43.726-07:002015-04-13T07:14:43.726-07:00Yikes! But it made it home. One of the very inte...Yikes! But it made it home. One of the very interesting feelings I got (unmeasured and subjective of course) was how much more solid the B-17 seemed to feel than the B-24. It just felt like it was made by Timex ("Takes a licking and keeps on Ticking"). Maybe it was the relative size. With one exception, the B-24 felt huge in comparison. juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-21861121871342115132015-04-13T06:57:53.492-07:002015-04-13T06:57:53.492-07:00Thanks Juvat! It's a magical experience when t...Thanks Juvat! It's a magical experience when the WWII iron shows up. I'm blessed to have KIBM stuck right in the middle of the ranch. It's a popular gas stop for a lot of warbirds during airshow season. Looking forward to the Liberator and the Mustang. I'll throw up some Tora-Tora-Tora flight and some Stearmans one of these days.<br /><br />Downside to the front seats: http://www.diseno-art.com/news_content/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/B17-flying-fortress-battle-damage-2.jpgPrairieAdventurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06466447251827774900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-55638759375193212242015-04-13T06:40:45.736-07:002015-04-13T06:40:45.736-07:00Sarge is a tough negotiator, I think it was his SA...Sarge is a tough negotiator, I think it was his SAC background. "You vill stay on target! You will not waver! No digressions, evah!" But I wore him down.<br /><br />I think you're right. It was interesting that the G model (which this was) had 4 guns in the nose. Earlier models didn't have any and the Germans took advantage of that by attacking the formation head on. Wikipedia had a pretty good description on how they trained to attack the formations, <br />Visibility from the cockpit was better than I thought it would be. With a little straining, I could see from about 8 to 4. The only disappointment was the quality of the glass in the top turret, I was really looking forward to playing 12 O'Clock High up there.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-13213224049991863062015-04-13T06:33:26.889-07:002015-04-13T06:33:26.889-07:00Thanks, From your posts it sounds like you and Aa...Thanks, From your posts it sounds like you and Aaron are having a great weekend also. Looking forward to pics.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-68785863676587753682015-04-13T06:32:30.066-07:002015-04-13T06:32:30.066-07:00Thanks. Well you know....The Lord only created a ...Thanks. Well you know....The Lord only created a certain number of perfect heads, the rest he covered with hair.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-32380856528037780502015-04-13T05:46:22.074-07:002015-04-13T05:46:22.074-07:00You're authorized one digression per post? You...You're authorized one digression per post? You must have negotiated that when hired on. Sarge isn't as strict with me- he knows that most of my posts are just a series of digressions, otherwise I'd have nothing to write. <br /><br />I think the BN had the best seat in the house, albeit one of the most dangerous. By the way, can I borrow $432?Tunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04930237104692982421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-77954435656229581492015-04-13T05:06:16.332-07:002015-04-13T05:06:16.332-07:00Fantastic post and pics. Looks like a great day ou...Fantastic post and pics. Looks like a great day out indeed. As usual, the rest of America has a reason to collectively wish that we were Juvat.Murphy's Lawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17164780742334950772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-89060157584734247372015-04-13T05:00:26.693-07:002015-04-13T05:00:26.693-07:00The (ahem) Bald Guy in that one shot could be me, ...The (ahem) Bald Guy in that one shot could be me, it isn't, but it could be. It's why I always wear a hat.<br /><br />Guy does look familiar though...<br /><br />Oh yeah, great post by the way. Can't wait for next week!OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.com