Posted on 05/17/2022 6:20:03 PM PDT by lgjhn23
I was outside the shop changing the deck belt on the lawnmower this morning, and I could hear it coming. It's not unusual to have propeller-driven air traffic here in this rural area, mostly crop dusters though, and few private aircraft. But this was a different sound...more than one or two engines, a loud, deep, steady drone sound....unusual. I stopped what I was doing and stepped out from under the awning, looking up. It was a partly cloudy, but sunny day, and then I saw her. She was up maybe 5000' heading due east. There was no mistaken her for what she was even at 5000'; a B-17 Flying Fortress...beautiful! I immediately thought of the old movie, The Memphis Belle. Then, my thoughts turned to the reality those days, and our boys that flew em. Men that were our father's and grandfather's generation. Young men that unselfishly sacrificed their very lives for the cause of freedom. I, then thought of the vile, godless, communist/socialist regime that now rules over us versus the men of those days. We have let them down.
I was fortunate to fly in a B-17. The Collings Foundation was in town and away we went!
Can here those piston engines coming from a ways
It’s an awesome sound, isn’t it?
Four big radial engines with huge props.
I saw one fly over my house a couple years ago as they were on the way to a nearby show.
A few years back when I was living in southern Louisiana, one came roaring overhead at a relatively low altitude. It was awesome, and one could only imagine what a flight of a multitude of them must have been like for those on the ground.
A B-29 flew overhead a couple of weeks ago. I think it was Fifi by its schedule.
Unfortunately their B-17, the 505, later crashed.
Dad was waist gunner in a B17.
And yes, we have let them down.
Every one of them knew that Winston Churchill was not a natural born citizen of the US just because he had an American mother.
Oh please! Our grandfathers and fathers were led by the vile, godless, communist/socialist president named Franklin D. Roosevelt. They believed all the bullshit and propaganda and willingly marched off to war to protect the interests of the international bankers who ran the US Federal Reserve Bank. Our fathers were brave pawns on the road to hell, sacrificing themselves for the long range plans of their rulers. The only difference is that today we are a lot closer to hell than they were. But we are going down the same road they traveled.
They used to fly into our local airport for the CAF shows. You could hear them miles away. Always thought the same thing about what a 1000 plane raid sounded like. Not sure the Germans would have needed radar to know they were coming.
Same; saw Fifi fly over about two weeks ago.
Thank you for sharing that. That’s something you’ll never forget. I’d love to see one of those beautiful old majestic birds fly over.
Yes, it’s hard to fathom where we are today.
I had that experience in Florida.
there is nothing like it.
Excellent!
I've seen only one in the air in my entire lifetime.
I tried to get my submarine to fly a couple of times, but she stalled.
Yep...for sure, a very unique sound from those four big prop radial engines; it was enough to stop me from what I was working on to go have a look.
According to the FlightWare app: It was N7227C, The Texas Raiders, out of Conroe, TX. Headed due east, probably to an air show somewhere.
At 200 gallons/hour of fuel and 10 gallons/hour of oil, I hope she didn’t have too far to go.
One doesn’t have a B-17 Flying Fortress go over their house every day....whadda treat!
Nice post...Thanks.
My father was a B-29 pilot flying from Saipan.
I’m not fit to be in the same room with veteran’s of his generation...heroes’ each and every one.
Everyday is Memorial Day at my house.
Great story! Have one similar...walking up to a job in Plainfield NJ, in a not so nice area. This guy on the porch a couple homes away was staring me down when one flew overhead. I looked up and it was low..2500? 3500? Looked back at the guy staring and pointed to the B17. He came walking out in the street and I walked over, he had this huge smile going. Ended up bullsh!ttin for a while about all different stuff.
What I thought was going to be a trouble spot ended up reinforcing some confidence in people for me.
Unfortunately, there is truth in what you say, in my opinion. FDR was an egotistical asshole, unworthy of the country he made serve him.
Some years back a Lancaster flew over with the bomb bay doors open. Even knowing that WWII was over before I was born, seeing open bomb bay doors passing over is unsettling.
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