B17-specifications needed.......

[evangilder]

I do have pictures of the radio sets that are going to be part of what I am editting. I would assume they got quite a bit of use and typically would not be hard to use. They have to keep it simple for many reasons.

 

[evangilder]

Okay guys, I created a B-17 walkthrough section to the website. Five pages with 52 total photos. Page one starts below.

http://www.vg-photo.com/bombers/b17walkthru/b17wt1.html

 

[Chad2000k]

well any more info you've got on them? how big where they? how easy were they to use? did the americans use them much? because most source's i've read have said the British R1155 and T1154 together form one of the best radio systems of the day..........

I don't mean to intrude your discussion but my dad used to mention something about that. Anyways the american radios used in the fortresses were actually somewhat similar to the british except its less advance because the brits are more ahead in communications at the time or so i have been told. Also somewhere i remember reading that the american radios could be reconfigured to transmit messages to the brits in the event of an attack. I'm not exactly sure about this but yeah. Ummm I'll do some more research and i might be able to find that out for ya two.

 

[Chad2000k]

Okay guys, I created a B-17 walkthrough section to the website. Five pages with 52 total photos. Page one starts below.

http://www.vg-photo.com/bombers/b17walkthru/b17wt1.html

I have a question, and its about the picture on the third page of the walkthrough. The second picture if i can remember as u refer it as the interior corridor? My real question is what are the things on the sides of that large walkway. Its a big board with a black thing on the top. Thanks.

 

[evangilder]

I am not really sure what they are, but am guessing that its not standard equipment. It is likely something that they threw in to store something while on their tours. I have not seen those on any other B-17, and I have been through about 6 of them. They almost look like seat backs, so I am thinking that it may be some kind of removable seat for the ground crew that goes with the airplane on tour.

 

[Chad2000k]

I am not really sure what they are, but am guessing that its not standard equipment. It is likely something that they threw in to store something while on their tours. I have not seen those on any other B-17, and I have been through about 6 of them. They almost look like seat backs, so I am thinking that it may be some kind of removable seat for the ground crew that goes with the airplane on tour.

Yeah that's what i was thinking but where is the bottom part of the seat or is it removable? Hmmm all the men on board in the different positions report to their positions before take-off right? So they don't all sit in one place and then take-off and then they spread out to their positions. Do you understand what i meant by that? I thought maybe that's an extra cargo area if they need to store and it sorta protects the cargo from going over the sides into the wheel well if I'm correct. Also it could be just something like you said they threw in for the tours they give.

 

[evangilder]

Well, the original positions were pretty scattered and I am sure that no one would volunteer to sit in the ball turret. There isn't really any acrgo space in there, except between the waist position and the tail, there is some open space that gets used on a lot of touring B-17s. The seat would be removable to make more space for the visitors going through, I assume. The waist position has the most available space for seats, so it makes the most sense if people want to sit together for the flight.

 

[KraziKanuK]

USAAF formations (from unremembered net sources)

 

[Chad2000k]

Well, the original positions were pretty scattered and I am sure that no one would volunteer to sit in the ball turret. There isn't really any acrgo space in there, except between the waist position and the tail, there is some open space that gets used on a lot of touring B-17s. The seat would be removable to make more space for the visitors going through, I assume. The waist position has the most available space for seats, so it makes the most sense if people want to sit together for the flight.

Yeah i agree. In one of those pics with the ball turret. If the guy runs out of ammo he can radio to have someone else refill it? or is that it? Hmmm where was that tour at??? i think i went to something like that in south Dakota.

 

[evangilder]

Most of the B-17s I have seen have been in California at Camarillo airport where I volunteer with the local CAF chapter. But I have seen Sentimental Journey in Arizona and I saw the Sally B at Lakenheath and Mildenhall many years ago.

 

[Chad2000k]

Oh okay well those sound like good places. The one in South Dakota that i went to wasnt an inside out tour like yours with the pictures. But we got to see the outside and we could climb up by the wheel well but we couldnt actually walk around in it. We could poke our heads through the bombbay doors too. Hmmm ill see if i have pic from there. Hmmm well ttyl

 

[Hunter368]

Okay guys, I created a B-17 walkthrough section to the website. Five pages with 52 total photos. Page one starts below.

http://www.vg-photo.com/bombers/b17walkthru/b17wt1.html

Wow I have to say thank-you Eric that was great, I mean I have seen some pics of their insides but that was amazing. Thank-you again for doing that. It made me feel like a was really in one. Do you know how many bullets those two ammo clips held for the bottom ball turret? It looks like it would not be alot. But Thank-you again for the time you spent doing that.

 

[evangilder]

If you watch the EAA and Colings Foundation sites, they have a calendar and locations for their tours. If I remember correctly, they charge about $5 to be able to walk through it. Money well spent and it helps fund the tours.

For the EAA B-17 tour:
http://www.b17.org/tour/

For the Collings Foundation tour (B-17, B-24 and B-25 added this year)
http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

It doesn't look like the Arizona Wing of the CAF is taking "Sentimental Journey" on tour this year.

 

[Hunter368]

Thanks, $5.00???? Wow thats cheap for such a tour threw part of history. I would pay 10 times that much to walk threw one.

 

[evangilder]

Glad you enjoyed the walk-through. I had been thinking about doing it for a while, this thread got me inspired to get it done. Not sure what the capacity of the ammo boxes were, but I am sure in the thick of things, it was never enough.

And yes, $5 is nothing to walk through one of these birds. The history alone is incredible. I will probably take my son for his first viewing of one of these when they come. I will probably wait for the collings birds so that he can see 3 historic birds at one time.

 

[Chad2000k]

Thats a good idea.

 

[jhor9]

As one who was there I enjoyed all the comments. The formation shots were really good because it showed how close in we flew. We were all young at the time , it didn't seem too cramped. However, in the pilots seat I couldn't wear the fleece lined jacket because of lack of room. I wore the thin flying jacket over coveralls. I just want to emphasize the extreme cold, -50 to-60 below at 25000 feet with no heat, that was the worst part of flying missions.
Any comments, go to the B17 thread

 

[REDTEMP67]

HAVE PICS OF MY DADS FLIGHT CREW PIC IN FRONT OF THE BIRD. HAVE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE OF HIM TALKING ABOUT BEING IN THE TAIL GUNNER POSITION. HAVE A VERY NICE AND INTERESTING BOOK FROM MC DILL AFB HE PURCHASED WHILE THERE. A 50 CAL. BULLET THAT THEY MADE INTO CIGARETTE LIGHTERS IN SPARE TIME. I AM INTERESTED IN PHOTOS OF LADY LIBERTY ESP. THOSE WITH NOSE ART. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME. JIM