A Ride in the B-17 Bomber "Aluminum Overcast"

There's no telling how much longer passengers will be allowed to fly in old planes like this, or even how much longer the planes will be allowed to fly. It's not cheap, but I knew I would always regret not taking a flight if I got the chance.
-
What really surprised me was how it was perfectly ok to touch the plane, climb around under and into the wheel wells, etc. without worrying about an overzealous crew member yelling at you. Once airborn, the crew encouraged passengers to get up and explore the plane. Everything was accessible except for the tail gun and ball turret positions.




-
I saw a few WW2 vets and the crew members treated them like royalty, listening intently to their war stories.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• visalia
• b17
• bomber
• p51
• b24
• b25
• b29
• luftwaffe
• me262
• me109
• ww2
• porterville
• exeter

[rcsupercubbuilder]

loved the video! its a sad sight seeing old bombers just sitting idle on the FAR FAR corner of airstrips without an airworthiness ticket. i think its time to have some people stand up and say its about time we start restoring history a little better in respect to the brave people who have served our country! Although theres still c-46's up here in alaska being used i asked the pilots of them at an airshow whats going to happen to the plane when the ticket expires. they said "i think its time..."

[taofledermaus]

@rcsupercubbuilder Thank you for watching. While it may seem like more and more old planes are being taken out of commission, many are currently being restored to beautiful condition. I think the ultimate shame is have a plane completely scrapped- sometimes it's better to park it and hope someone will have th money and time to bring it back up to airworthyness in the future. I'd say seeing the old WW2 vets come out to see the Fortress was the hightlight. The plane will outlive them.

[folke65]

It is very important to keep these planes flying. They are living memories of a time of struggle for life in order to save the freedom of the world. I can understand this: "saw a few WW2 vet´s and the crew members treated them like royalty", because nowadays it is not much more than a game. For real veterans every journey was a question of the last day in their life. That was the real thing.

[taofledermaus]

@folke65 It was an honor to see the old vets come out. I wish now I would have interviewed one or two of them and gotten some firsthand stories. They might not be around the next time the plane comes through on the tour.

[weaponeer]

great story and video. I love WWII aircraft!

[taofledermaus]

@weaponeer Thanks! It was definitely a memorable experience.

[falcondriver100]

The one "dislike" on this video must have been some old German geezer! LMAO!

[IPeAnUtIDimebag]

we went on that plane when they came to an air show in victoria texas, thats like one of the only ones left

[taofledermaus]

Very cool! I bet you'll remember that ride for a very long time. Just think, during the war the people flying these planes were only about 5 years older than you. Did they allow you to get up and explore the plane during the flight?

[metallicastarwarsfan]

I flew on the Nine-O-Nine this year in Dallas. It was my very first time on a plane and I'm only 13... I was,of course,terrified,but halfway through the fear passed and I enjoyed every bit.