There's a B17 comming to Penticton !

#1bcshooter

#1bcshooter

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Well last year it was a B25 . This year it's a B17 !!
July 27 to Aug 2
http://www.pentictonherald.ca/news/article_a39a1788-319b-11e5-88f8-53de0c064b28.html

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Yup, I'm planning on buying a ride on it too. I enjoyed taking a ride on the Commemorative Air Force's restored B-25 Mitchell, Made in the Shade, which visited Penticton last summer. It was fun riding in the tail gunner's position and defending the local orchards and vineyards from those nasty Jap Zeros. ;)
 
Not much to a Lanc either. A B-29 on the other hand is a big SOB. Takes forever to take off too.
That $425US is $554.46Cdn. Lotta money for a plane ride.
 
sunray said:
Not much to a Lanc either. A B-29 on the other hand is a big SOB. Takes forever to take off too.
That $425US is $554.46Cdn. Lotta money for a plane ride.
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Well I'd much sooner buzz around the Okanagan for 30 minutes in a restored WW2 bomber than pay the same for a cheap flight to Toronto being shoehorned into the seating on "the people's airline" and all the nausea that goes with it. Besides, they don't put trailer hitches on a hearse.:)
 
I have seen B-17 in Geneseo NY-great bird and really tight inside.It makes Lancaster look like comfy Bentley limo.

500$ a ride?Good bargain.Try 3000$ for an hour ride in Lanc (CWH in Hamilton)
 
I took a tour of B-17 "Sentimental Journey" along with a German JU-88 Heinkel bomber and a Fairy Swordfish torpedo plane in 1991 when they were on static display in Nanaimo, BC . The B-17 was tight inside to say the least but it seemed huge in comparison to the Heinkel. There was an older gentleman at the show seated at the same table as myself talking about having flown a swordfish during the war. I said to him" how did they get the nickname stringbag?" He about fell off his seat with a shocked look and asked how somebody my age would know that term. I laughed and said I read alot about WW2 aviation and that was the plane used to take out the Italian fleet at moorage. He was stunned and just nodded his head slowly yes and said "I didn't think anyone your age cared one bit about those things that took place". I said "some of us do" and thanked him for his service before continuing on my way.
 
A great opportunity to fly in a Legend, the Flying Fortress. Money be damned!!! You guys have all been blessed to have got to travel and visit those sites.

I was always touched by the painting "The Higher Calling" and of course the actual wartime events that took place and inspired the artist. Anyone who loves the B-17 should know this story.
 
When CWH Lancashire went to Oshkosh and parked by the "big" B17 and B24 it dwarfed them by comparison. That night the latter two were quietly moved to another location on the field.

None of this diminishes the courage of the air crews, none of it.
 
Took my ride on the Flying Fortress this morning. I sat in the Radio Operator's position for takeoff and landing and moved to the waist gunner's position for a good look around the Okanagan Valley as we cruised over Summerland and north to Peachland before returning to the Penticton Airport.

I was surprised at the fact that the 4 engines seemed a lot quieter than the twin engine B-25 that I flew on last summer. Same engines, but the B-17 used exhaust collector rings whereas the engines on the B-25 had the cylinders exhausting individually. Once we were airborne the pilot opened the bomb bay doors for a few minutes to let us have a look down. Fortunately this was before someone else had moved quick as a spider out onto the catwalk in the bomb bay, something that we were cautioned against in the pre-flight briefing.

Takeoff and landing was very smooth and the aircraft seemed to maneuver quite majestically with lots of power. It was a bright sunny Okanagan morning for a flight with none of those pesky Me-109s or Zeros around to ruin the experience. ;)
 
Saw it in Lethbridge last weekend... they did a bunch of simulated bombing runs and it was COOL.

CF-18 going high-subsonic was very cool as well... WICKED airshow all around!
 
Thanks S of H and thanks to "Mrs Purple" for doing a good job on the camera. We enjoyed the afterglow holed up in the AC this afternoon watching the movie "Memphis Belle" as well as the original wartime documentary of the same name.

One of the coolest things about the B-17 visit here was seeing one of my old pals, who served as a rear gunner for 33 missions on a Halifax bomber during WW2, get a complimentary flight in a B-17 nose seat. His wife, who is also a pilot, got to go as well. It was quite a week for him starting with his being presented with the French Legion d' Honneur by the local MP with front page coverage in the local paper. He had a heart attack this spring and has bounced back quite nicely. All of this has been a big boost for his morale.
 
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