# A Ride on Witchcraft



## T Bolt (Aug 14, 2013)

A week and a half ago I had the experience of a life time taking a ride on the Collings Foundation's B-24J Witchcraft. My brother and I drove out to Kankakee IL through massive thunderstorms which fortunately cleared up just in time and it was a beautiful day. The B-17 Nine O Nine was also there along with The P-51C Betty Jane. We met Gary (Geedee) who was working on the B-24 as a crewcheif for a couple of weeks. He looked like he was having the time of his life flying around with these wonderful bombers.

First off are some exterior shots of Witchcraft


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## fubar57 (Aug 14, 2013)

Way too cool Glenn.

Geo


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## Catch22 (Aug 14, 2013)

Awesome Glenn, still haven't seen one of those flying.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Aug 14, 2013)

Way to go Glenn!!! I think Gary is still suffering from withdrawls though.


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## Gnomey (Aug 14, 2013)

Cool shots Glenn!


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## Airframes (Aug 14, 2013)

Great stuff Glenn - looking forward to the rest of the pics. Gary is now speaking in WW2 American, and muttering things about cylinder head temps and spark plugs .....


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## Vic Balshaw (Aug 14, 2013)

Only way to go Glenn.


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## vikingBerserker (Aug 14, 2013)

I am so jealous!


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## GrauGeist (Aug 14, 2013)

Way to go!

Glad you were able to make the trip to see them and great photos!


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## T Bolt (Aug 14, 2013)

I’ll post some more pictures tomorrow morning.



Catch22 said:


> Awesome Glenn, still haven't seen one of those flying.


Other that Diamond Lil, it’s the only one left flying, and Diamond Lil isn’t a true B-24, it’s a C-87 transport with passenger seats that’s had a bombers nose grafted on. (I sat on the floor of Witchcraft for take off and landing)



Aaron Brooks Wolters said:


> Way to go Glenn!!! I think Gary is still suffering from withdrawls though.


I’m sure he is, I am, and I only went on the one flight



GrauGeist said:


> Way to go!
> Glad you were able to make the trip to see them and great photos!


Dave, if you wouldn’t have told me Gary was flying with them it would have been a he!! Of a surprise to bump into him!


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## GrauGeist (Aug 14, 2013)

T Bolt said:


> Dave, if you wouldn’t have told me Gary was flying with them it would have been a he!! Of a surprise to bump into him!


Well, I bet he was still surprised to see you, glad I was able to give you the headsup!


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## N4521U (Aug 14, 2013)

There is Nothing like a ride in a plane built to last only a few missions.

What a rush? Where did you ride in the plane? Did you get to walk around during the flight? Huh, huh????


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## FLYBOYJ (Aug 14, 2013)




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## T Bolt (Aug 14, 2013)

You had to strap down for takeoff and landing but other than that the only places out of bounds were the top and ball turrets (which I never could have fit in any way) and the cockpit, but you could be on the flight deck right behind the pilots. I started out buckled in on the floor with my back to the ball turret but there was too much weight in the rear (nose wheel popping up) so Gary had me and another guy go up forward and strap in on the floor behind the pilots (I'm good for nose weight anyway). Right after takeoff I headed down under the flight deck in the crawl space beside the nose gear and came out in the bombardier's position. What a view!! Norden bomb sight and everything. It looks like Witchcraft still has all the original military equipment. The back of the nose turret was open so I went in there for a wile, then made my way back under the flight deck and through the bomb bay to the waist where Gary and most of the other passengers were with the open waist windows. You could go back into the tail turret too, and it was cool seeing the fabric covered control surfaces move just inches from you on the other side of the turrets plexiglass. I'll tell you guys, it was a fantastic experience and I can sure understand if Gary is still walking around smiling after two weeks of it.


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## N4521U (Aug 15, 2013)

Out-standing!!!!!! Am happy for you to get the opportunity..... good-on-ya.


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## rochie (Aug 15, 2013)

very cool Glenn


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## T Bolt (Aug 15, 2013)

Here's the promised pictures. I didn't take many shots during the flight taking mostly video with my camera so a lot of these shots are stills from that video. The guy in the black shirt is my brother, also a member here (HD-Soft Tail) although he doesn't post.


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## GrauGeist (Aug 15, 2013)

Great photos, you certainly had a great experience!

I see Gary is wearing his GoPro and having way too much fun! 

I will say that I'm a little jealous, as I haven't had the chance to ride aboard the B-24 (ok, more than a little jealous)


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## meatloaf109 (Aug 15, 2013)

Yeah, more than a little!


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## s1chris (Aug 15, 2013)

Wow, excellent pictures and how lucky.
One thing i would like to know (a strange one). What did it smell like?
Is there an oily fuely smell to this old birds?

Cheers Chris


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## Thorlifter (Aug 15, 2013)

That's fantastic Glenn. I have to admit I'm a whole lot jealous.


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## Gnomey (Aug 15, 2013)

Great shots Glenn! Looks like a great flight.

Gary certainly looks like he is having way too much fun...


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## Crimea_River (Aug 15, 2013)

Excellent stuff. Some day.....


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## T Bolt (Aug 15, 2013)

Here's a few interior shots I took wile we were crawling around the B-24 before the flight. We could use a picture reference section in the modeling section. I took a lot more pictures like this which would be very useful to someone detailing the interior of a B-24 model. I know I could have used them when I was working on Booby Trap in the Heavy Hitters GB.


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## Crimea_River (Aug 15, 2013)

Awesome.


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## meatloaf109 (Aug 15, 2013)

Nice!
(But I seriously hate you both!... Not really,... O.k., kind of.... jealousy is a hard thing to get over. But your brother,... now I really hate him.)
Post more pictures!!!


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## Airframes (Aug 16, 2013)

I'm not jealous.
And if you believe that, you'll believe anything !!!
Great pics Glenn. In the third from last shot, is that the area behind the nose wheel bay?


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## T Bolt (Aug 16, 2013)

Yes it is Terry, taken from the door in the forward bulkhead of the bomb bay looking forward just before I crawled through to the bombardiers station. The bright lighted area is the open wheel nose bay with the nose gear mounting framework above. The flat floor to the right is where you crawl to get to the nose. The flight deck is the ceiling above and at the very left of the frame you can just see the edge of whet I believe is the auxiliary power unit. Both Monogram and Academy wrongly had a bottom half bulkhead behind the nose gear opening. As you can see there is nothing there all the way down to the bottom, only a beefed up side frames at that location. Either they just got it wrong or they added it so they could have something easy to mount the nose gear strut to. 
I'll try to get more pictures up later.


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## Airframes (Aug 16, 2013)

Thanks for the explanation Glenn. Looks like a real assault course down there, and must have been hell in an emergency! 
I'd have no chance even getting into that area, let alone reaching the nose - in fact, I think probably 50% of the aircraft would be impossible for me !


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## syscom3 (Aug 16, 2013)

TBolt, glad you got a ride in it. I had my ride back in 1995 when it was known as "Golden Gal". I have my video of that posted somewhere in the forum.

Did you like the view from the tail gunner position? How about how noisy the waist gunner positions were? And how cramped the nose compartment was.

The highlite of my ride was when we dropped down to the deck over the Catalina Channel and buzzed a sailboat. Priceless!!!!!


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## Gnomey (Aug 16, 2013)

Excellent shots Glenn!


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## nuuumannn (Aug 16, 2013)

Very very cool Glenn and Gary! I love those internal detail shots. You should be grinning from ear to ear.


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## Vic Balshaw (Aug 16, 2013)

Simply AWESOME Glenn and thanks for sharing.


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## evangilder (Aug 17, 2013)

Great stuff, Glenn! Congrats. Now that you have had a chance to ride in one in peacetime, can you imagine the guys that flew hours in those, getting shot at by enemy fighters, dealing with flak and the hazards of formation flying with a bunch of them occupying the same piece of sky? It sure does make you appreciate what the greatest generation did, doesn't it? It is amazing that any of them still have their hearing too. 

That's one of those life experiences to tell you grand-kids about. 8)


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## wheelsup_cavu (Aug 25, 2013)

syscom3 said:


> TBolt, glad you got a ride in it. I had my ride back in 1995 when it was known as "Golden Gal". I have my video of that posted somewhere in the forum.
> 
> Did you like the view from the tail gunner position? How about how noisy the waist gunner positions were? And how cramped the nose compartment was.
> 
> The highlite of my ride was when we dropped down to the deck over the Catalina Channel and buzzed a sailboat. Priceless!!!!!


I'll bet the sailboat captain might have had a different invective to describe the experience.


Enjoyed the pictures Glen. 8)
I was crawling around in witchcraft when she was at the Lyons museum a few months ago. Wish I would have had the cash to take the flight on her too.


Wheels


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## parsifal (Aug 29, 2013)

man, thats awesome, everything. Thanks Glenn. The bird just rocks....


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## GrauGeist (Aug 29, 2013)

evangilder said:


> Great stuff, Glenn! Congrats. Now that you have had a chance to ride in one in peacetime, can you imagine the guys that flew hours in those, getting shot at by enemy fighters, dealing with flak and the hazards of formation flying with a bunch of them occupying the same piece of sky? It sure does make you appreciate what the greatest generation did, doesn't it? It is amazing that any of them still have their hearing too.
> 
> That's one of those life experiences to tell you grand-kids about. 8)


Add to that, the temps were 40 below (F and C), they wore bulky heated gear and relied on oxygen masks!


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## T Bolt (Aug 29, 2013)

I can't imagine crawling around in there at 30,000 and 40 below dressed it all that heavy flight gear with an ox bottle to boot. No wonder they were all kids in there late teens and early twenty's. I could never do it at my age.

I still have more pictures of the B-17 and P-51 I want to post, I just haven't had the time to sort through them yet. Hopefully after the holiday weekend.


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## Geedee (Sep 2, 2013)

If its any consolation, Glenn now has lock-jaw from all the smiling !

Yup, was great to meet up with Glenn and his 'bruv. They are deffo two cool guys and it was a distinct pleasure to be able to be with them on their first '24 ride. I was able to get 'em upto the cockpit (that's normally out of bounds) and they had a quick tour before the gen public where let loose on the inside.

I've attached a few pics from screen-grabs from the go-pro footage.

Glenn, pm me your home addy and I'll get the footage I took, onto a couple of dvd's out to you.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Sep 2, 2013)

Excellent shots Glenn and Gary! Like everyone else, I'M JEALOUS!


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## Gnomey (Sep 2, 2013)

Good stuff Gary!


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## Airframes (Sep 2, 2013)

Great pics Gary. And I'm not jealous either - just you wait until I see you on Sunday, then you'll find out how jealous I'm not !!! (goes off mumbling.....)


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## GrauGeist (Sep 3, 2013)

Still jealous over here!

Heck, still can't even go up in a friend's civil right now since I'm still healing up and all...but one of these days I will catch a ride on a B-24

In the mean time, keep putting up those pics!


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## vikingBerserker (Sep 3, 2013)

Nothing short of fricken awesome!


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## T Bolt (Sep 4, 2013)

Wonderful pictures Gary. I sent you a PM with my address.

The B-17 Nine O Nine was also there and although I didn't go up in it I spent quite a bit of time exploring it and here are some of the pictures.


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## Airframes (Sep 4, 2013)

Great pics Glenn, and I wonder how many modellers, unfamiliar with the B-17, would include those passenger 'jump' seats?!!
I really like the way warbirds in the 'States are able to be viewed internally, by the public. If it was to happen here in the UK, and that's a BIG if, it would cost a King's ransom, your first-born sold into slavery for life, and a waiting list of five years! (sounds a bit like life under our current Government ....oops!).


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## Gnomey (Sep 4, 2013)

Excellent shots Glenn!


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