B-17 taking off and landing today...

[p51]

These were taken at a airfield near my home. The bird is the CAF's B-17G "Sentimental Journey".
Everyone else was at the South end of the field, but the CAF never launched or landed at that direction. The North end of the field has no fence and has a tall berm overlooking the overrun. Made for some sweet shots coming in (taking off was going away from the sun so those shots were kinda, "Meh")...

I caught the B-17 taking off and landing twice, so the second time, I took video instead:
https://youtu.be/QJxc9-gn4SE
https://youtu.be/8IaTzsYKYLs
So sad that very few spectators showed up. When I went there in Sunday morning, I was alone with the crew for a short while. Even for the flights, there were very few people taking photos really, and tis field runs right alongside I-5... Standing on that berm at the field, there were only two other people there near me!

 

[Tiki Tom]

Beautiful. My older brother, who was a huge "12 O'clock High" fan, would have killed to see that. The show was a little before my time. Nonetheless, I grew up in a house where our shared bedroom's ceiling was hung thick with all manner of Revel WWII aircraft models suspended by nylon fishing line. Thanks for the memories.

 

[Redshoes51]

P-51...

I have to tell you...

Those videos gave me goosebumps!!!

Thank you for posting these...

~shoes~

 

[p51]

Those videos gave me goosebumps!!!

Thanks, not bad for a hand-held cell phone, huh? I only took those as an afterthought, once I realized I had a chance to see another take-off/landing and wanted to watch it other than through a viewfinder of my good camera. The cell was a perfect balance as I got to 'experience' it as well as record it.
Not nearly as impressive without the sound, anyway, right?

 

[Redshoes51]

Cellphone?

Stopped the props??

Outstanding!!!

I know what they sound like... I helped supply that... HAH!!!

~shoes~

 

[Stearmen]

It's amazing the quality of the video and sound on today's smart phones. I remember, even the professional videos taken in the 80s, could not compare to yours!

 

[p51]

Cellphone?

Stopped the props??

Outstanding!!!

Sorry, I should have been more specific. The video I shot on my Galaxy 5 cell. The stills I shot with a Canon EOS digital camera.

 

[MisterCairo]

We just got a shipment of (now out of date) newspapers and magazines delivered to the ship. In Victoria, British Columbia, someone wrote to the local paper saying this plane should not be honoured or called "Sentimental Journey". I was heartened to read that the letter stirred up controversy, with several writing in to suggest that this plane and others like it helped to end a war our side didn't start!

Long may she fly...

 

[p51]

We just got a shipment of (now out of date) newspapers and magazines delivered to the ship. In Victoria, British Columbia, someone wrote to the local paper saying this plane should not be honoured or called "Sentimental Journey".

There's a lot of that in the Pacific Northwest, where the aging hippie types and their offspring feel that nothing war-related should be commemorated (or even acknowledged). Heck, the Washington state capitol in Olympia quit having Veteran's Day parades after 2001, but other 'art related' new-age stuff has never been cancelled for anything. People protest any military activity at the port as well.
If any of you ever saw the movie, "PC U", you'll get a feel for the overall vibe where this is going on...

 

[Stearmen]

There's a lot of that in the Pacific Northwest, where the aging hippie types and their offspring feel that nothing war-related should be commemorated (or even acknowledged). Heck, the Washington state capitol in Olympia quit having Veteran's Day parades after 2001, but other 'art related' new-age stuff has never been cancelled for anything. People protest any military activity at the port as well.
If any of you ever saw the movie, "PC U", you'll get a feel for the overall vibe where this is going on...

There are others that would like to destroy WWII airplanes, those are some WWII servicemen. I was listing to the pilot of one of the only surviving Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, and he said he often has WWII Veterans come up and say, "it should be burned!"

 

[p51]

There are others that would like to destroy WWII airplanes, those are some WWII servicemen. I was listing to the pilot of one of the only surviving Mitsubishi A6M Zeros, and he said he often has WWII Veterans come up and say, "it should be burned!"

Heck, I've met WW2 vets that think no WW2 planes (of any nation) should be flown, movies should never be made, and think re-enacting is a horrible thing to do.
I get that on a personal level, they'd rather forget it all but it's downright silly to insist the world ignores the past as well. I told one of them that the holocaust and/or an aggressively expansionist Japan and/or Germany could (and likely would) repeat itself someday if society did that. He replied that he had no comeback for that.

 

[MisterCairo]

Any government that stops parades remembering military sacrifice should be reminded in no uncertain terms exactly who it was, is and will be, responsible for their having the freedom to do so.

 

[DanielJones]

The B-17 has been one of my favorite aircraft since childhood. Got to actually take a flight in one many years back. It was the highlight of my 20's for sure. Have to say though, the folks that manned that old warplane during WWII we a small bunch. I had to either be hunched over or in a semi-squat to keep from bumping my head. And for as large as that aircraft is, it is small compared to the Spruce Goose. The B-17 can comfortably fit in the shade of one wing. Saw that exact sight at the Evergreen Air & Space Museum in Oregon. If there is anywhere in the PNW that reveres the old war planes it is that area.
All the aircraft from WWII were engineering marvels. If it wasn't for wartime innovations from boots to, guns to aircraft, we would probably be technologically behind by at least 50 years. What the doves seem to forget, it that all the technology out there to make their lives easier was due in part to all the engineering advances from just about every war. How often do we have massive leaps in technology during peace time? Even during the Cold War era there were lots of rapid advances because all sides were prepping and waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Japanese Zero was one of the biggest leaps in aeronautical engineering history. It blew the doors off of any of the aircraft used that was developed during peace time. And then we answered with a giant leap of our own, the F6F Hellcat. Flew rings around the Zero. If it was for advances in radar technology during the war, we may not have the microwave oven to boil our water faster. Perfect for that herbal peace tea. Of course there is the massive death tolls that are a big down side, but we do live on a violent planet. Even out in the solitude of the wilderness there is plenty out there willing to kill you if your not paying attention. Nothing peaceful there.
On a positive side note, all the war time aircraft at Evergreen is in a state that if they needed to be called into active service, from bi-planes to F-15's, can be made functional and flight ready in 48 hours. Pretty impressive really. There were a couple of bi-planes there I would love to take a flight in too. For me there is nothing like old war planes. Especially the big bombers. The B-17 was amazing. I think that is where "A Wing & A Prayer' cam from, because some of the aircraft that made it back to England from a bombing run rightfully shouldn't have. It was utterly amazing.
If you didn't have war time gear, you wouldn't have Bogart in a trench coat. You wouldn't enjoy 4 wheeling in your jeep, you would enjoy super sonic travel around the world. Like I said, we would be about 50 years behind where we are now. Your computer would be running punch cards and we would have this thread. So than you WWII veterans, and engineers, and workers. Thank you for an advanced world.


An thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this B-17 moment.

Cheers!

Dan