you all probably figured i love my old ww2 aircraft. well.......the Memphis Belle is closer to taking to the skies again. after 13 years of restoration. she's a gorgeous B-17F. it's a crying shame that none of the heroes(bunch of kids at the time) aren't still alive to see her brought back to her former beauty.

 

http://worldwarwings.com/13-years-restoration-memphis-belle-finally-complete-see-stunning-detail/?utm_campaign=blog broadcast&utm_source=aweber&utm_medium=email

It truly represents "The Greatest Generation".  

Yrs ago when I and my family were much younger we spent a lot of time camping in Cape May in late summer. it often coincided with the Collings Foundation fly-in to the little airport down there. B17, 24,25 and I think 1 or2 others would would be scheduled to show up but there was usually a delay or no show from mechanical issues which everyone could relate to and was ok and funny in a way.  seeing and hearing those beasts fly in low and slow then circling the airport was a truly moving experience and some of my best memory's are of just that, and seeing my kids smiles....and the walk thrus, so much more respect for those young men. I can still see myself standing on the narrow walkway in the bomb bay and picturing the drs wide open....not to mention the claustrophobic gunner turrets. Beautiful awesome planes for sure.  

nine-o-nine, and witchcraft i think are their bombers. i can't remember the 25's name, or the pony's name.......but they also have a p51c that normally escorts them.

siderman:

In the summer of 2016 I flew in the “Nine-O-Nine”, B-17 Flying Fortress that was restored and is maintained by the Collins Foundation.

AVB-AMG

Here is a link to my post about that experience with photographs of that plane and their other WWII bombers and P51 Mustang.

 

Nice! ... on father's day 2013 I had the pleasure of flying around NYC on a B-17, "The Yankee Lady", with my son, who was 8 yrs old at the time. Flew out of Teterboro airport as part of a car show that weekend. We spent a good amount of time in the nose of the plane with my son sitting front and center with the best view. The tickets were not cheap and were a gift from my father-in-law, but i can say it was one of the greatest experiences of my life and if your interested in old bombers the ticket and experience is totally worth it.