On Board a B-17 Bomber

[metalmonkey47]

Back in 2019, I was at an airstrip shooting a car for an auto manufacturers press release when this B17 landed just behind us. I had a brief conversation with the crew and afterward they let us tour the plane. Unfortunately, I somehow missed getting a picture of the full plane so, of the very few left in existence, I don't recall which one this is.

1:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

2:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

3:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

4:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

5:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

6:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

7:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

8:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

9:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

10:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

11:
B17 Bomber by Matt Yates, on Flickr

 

[Minuteman3]

Great shots!! Definitely built for purpose, not comfort!!

Ken

 

[Louis Champan]

Terrific tour through this great old plane, well done.

 

[frdjohns]

What a great set. Very interesting. It seems so much smaller on the inside than what the movies always portray.

 

[Palouse]

Very well done, Matt.

 

[Allan]

Great set of images. I agree it looks cramped. My favorite is 8.

 

[Phil K]

Very nice set!

 

[warth man]

Great set of pics and a great aircraft.

 

[NCV]

I like the way you lead us through the aircraft.

Thanks I enjoyed this set.

 

[Replytoken]

Great photos! I have been tempted for years to take a flight and almost done so on several occasions. I thought seriously about in during the summer of 2019, but the weather was not great and I wanted to head up on a sunny day. That fall I found out that the B-17 "Nine-O-Nine" had crashed. I believe that "Aluminium Overcast" is the aircraft that frequently visits the west coast (although I could be wrong), but the crash did get me to think twice about any possible future flight. So, for now, thanks for the tour!

--Ken

 

[drr1531]

You really captured a nice tour of the plane. My dad flew the Navy version of the B24 in the Pacific during WWII. First as co-pilot then as plane commander. I have his logbook. He flew mostly patrol missions and routinely carried extra drums of avgas stood on the catwalk to increase range. There are many 12-16 hour missions recorded in the logbook. A couple of years after he passed I had the opportunity to crawl around in one and I was amazed at how small it was. Gave me a different perspective.

 

[Lance B]

Beautiful plane, fantastic shots.