The Mission

Here is a crude video put together from our first Fantasy Camp prototype event a year ago with the Collings Foundation. This was more of a recreation of a WWII mission than an actual Bomber Crew School which we are doing now.

Wayne shot the video from the back of the P-51C. Other air to air was shot from the Twin Beech. Mark shot the great bomb drop video while strapped into a harness and he stood on the catwalk between the bomb racks.

Notice the first bomb how it starts spinning and wobbling. This was our first attempt at making bombs (out of concrete) and we hadn't figured out how to secure the fins. The fin group loosened up and you sure can see the results.

I had a friend put my own video camera on a tripod next to the target truck. I figured since I was aiming at the truck and this was my first time using a Norden Bombsight that the target was the safest place in the whole area!

If you can, turn up the audio and listen to the sound of the bombs as they rush in just before they hit the ground. It is awesome. The only thing missing was the boom noise at the end.

We are now taking sign ups for our WWII Bomber Crew Fantasy Camp. You can learn all about the different crew positions in a WWII B-17 or B-24 and then you will learn gunnery and train just like they did in WWII. First with a WWII shotgun aiming at clay pigeons and then trying to hit the moving target from the turret truck and finally live fire with a 50 cal.

The next day you get checked out in the ball turret ground trainer, load up the bombs and fly a mission. You can: shoot the 50's in the waist at the attacking Messerschmidt 262 German Jet, take the ball turret for a spin in the air and try to hit the target with the Norden Bomb Sight.

For more information about the Fantasy Camp check out our web page about it here:

http://www.twinbeech.com/bombercrewfantasycamp.htm

Category:

Education

Tags:

• B-17
• B-24
• bomber
• warbird
• ball
• turret
• gunnery
• gun
• army
• air
• force
• training
• wwii
• fantasy
• camp
• norden
• bomb
• sight
• b-25

[budgienation]

I've just recently seen the Collings foundation's B-17, B-24 and P-51C. Great to see them in the air going through the motions. One note on the waist gunner in the portside waist gunners postion. That 'corkscrew motion' with his hand and patting the gun was the same gesture of the portside waistgunner in Billy Wilder's Memphis Bell, using the real crew. Question: was that the same waist gunner? If so he must owe it all to clean living as he'd be in his middle 80's....

[CrowTRobot1977]

Great vid, though seems the 50 is having some issues. Might want to get it checked out.

[neomuttley]

I flew in the Colling's B17G a few years back. I'm an 80 percentile shooter w/sporting clays. Can't say I ever tried it w/a Sperry2 turret though. Bet it'd be fun.

[RepublicCommando29]

We need footage of the ball turret!  :)

[AJWvideos]

Thats the bomber Witchcraft which was based in my Village Rackheath and that was home to the 467th Bomber Group of USAF Rackheath. This is the most famous bomber because it completed over 150 missions without fail, death or extensive damage.

A true Hero!!!

[buzzfan]

twin, are you the guy who flew right seat with Rowe Bowen a couple of years ago? Do you have vid of that flight? Would love to see it (I met him many years ago......his daughter and I went to HS together)

[patchbod]

woah this is seriously amazing

[thewwiiguy]

that is just plain AWESOME!!! and awesome plane! (bad joke)

if i had the money man... i would do it in a heart beat!! what an experience... those bombs sound great too...

[twinbeechdotcom]

Just send us an e-mail to julie at twinbeech dot you know what and we will schedule you for the next WWII Bomber Crew Fantasy Camp