I took a vacation day today ...

**Scott Gilmore** · 23rd April 07, 01:51 PM

The Wings of Freedom Tour was at the Palomar airport here in San Diego County today, so I took a vacation day to check them out. I know some of you are aviation enthusiasts, so I thought I'd post a couple of pictures.

B-17 Flying Fortress

I was able to get a good close-up look at a B-17 for the first time in my life, and a pretty good look at the tail gunner's station. My father was a small man even by the standards of his day, but he was quite the athlete. Now I see why he was assigned tail gunner duties. He flew seven low-level daylight precision bombing missions.

They also had a B-24 Liberator on display.

And also a B-25J Mitchell.

Two last shots of the B-17G "Nine O Nine" I had a chance to crawl through this morning.

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They look much bigger from the outside than from the inside. I'm 5'-11" and 165 lb and I had to turn sideways and crouch to move through the plane. My father described a mission where he had to come forward quickly from the tail because the pilot had been killed and the plane went into a skid (the copilot was just a kid - he panicked and froze at the controls). I have no idea how anyone could move quickly in that environment - especially while the plane was skidding into a dive.

I had a million thoughts and emotions going through my head as I looked through that plane.
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**cessna152towser** · 23rd April 07, 01:57 PM

Excellent pics. Planes can be very emotional for me too, especially the types which my late father worked on and often flew in.

**McMurdo** · 23rd April 07, 01:58 PM

Wonderful thread thanks for the pictures.

**gangreenfootball** · 23rd April 07, 02:08 PM

Great pictures thanks

**haukehaien** · 23rd April 07, 02:29 PM

That's so cool!

I love the looks of the Fortress, and the Mitchell too.
Back in 2000, the EAA's B-17, Aluminum Overcast, came to Ponca City, about an hour from here. One of the reporters from the local paper got to go cover it and fly on it, and invited me to go along as his photographer. (He said that he thought I would appreciate it more than the actual photographer would have.) No kilts (I didn't own any then) and low quality pics, because of the poor digital camera I had.

The crew chief is giving us the safety briefing before takeoff.

A puff of smoke as the engine starts.

This gentleman was a former B-17 crewman. He's in the radio op's position.

The funnel with the hose on it is the "relief tube" for getting rid of any excess fluids the crew might have brought on board.

The tail position, for Scott Gilmore.

Looking aft from the radio position.

The port engines, seen from the navigator's position. With the fields, it's easy to imagine taking off with the 8th Air Force to bomb "Fortress Europe." Fortunately, no 109s or 190s showed up on our flight. (I think the guns were all dummies, so we'd have been hosed.)

View from the bomb-aimer's position.

The payload.

My uncle flew 25 missions with the 8th out of England. The chance to see the kind of craft he flew was truly an amazing experience.

**cessna152towser** · 23rd April 07, 02:41 PM

Wow! Super pics. That must have been some experience going flying in the B-17. There can't be many other x-markers have done THAT.

**beloitpiper** · 23rd April 07, 03:16 PM

That B-17 is really, really amazing.

**Scott Gilmore** · 23rd April 07, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by haukehaien

...

The tail position, for Scott Gilmore.

Thanks!

**Riverkilt** · 23rd April 07, 04:08 PM

Great pics,

Thanks Scott and Haukenhaien,

My dad was a combat fighter pilot, but after he was stateside as an instructor he also trained B-25 pilots down in Texas.

I have been inside a B-17 on a ground walk through. What impressed me more than anything was how THIN the metal was...seemed like aluminum foil to me...fragile....

Ron

**ccga3359** · 23rd April 07, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by Riverkilt

Great pics,

I have been inside a B-17 on a ground walk through. What impressed me more than anything was how THIN the metal was...seemed like aluminum foil to me...fragile....

Ron

you're telling me I toured the Bell helicopter factory in Mirabel, Quebec. They were still building the Heuy variant with aluminum so thin I think I could poke my finger through it. The same can be said for 50's era fighters and they were capable of the speed of sound! I admire those that fly/flew these craft but in combat! That would take cajones that I couldn't imagine.