Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Playing Hooky
I played hooky on Monday. We worked the weekend when the students returned, so I took a little "me time" and went out to see the Collings Foundation planes at the local airport. I saw the two larger of these planes last year, but the fighter and the B-25 were new to me, so I went in to see those first.
I had called the field and asked about the 2:00 start time: was it the landing time or when the gates would open? Well, it turned out to be both. From the road I saw them all land and taxi in (oh, the wonderful, glorious noise as they jockeyed the planes into one little area!), and the Collings staff had us on the tarmac in about twenty minutes. Plenty of people there, mostly vets and guys (with or without kids). Call it a couple of hundred people at 2:00 in blazing sun.
The B-25J Tondaleo (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tx_b-25jmitchell.htm). The B-25 is so small they wouldn't let anyone into it. Honestly, that thing seemed about the size of a station wagon; those crews must've been either crazy, or stupid, or uncommonly brave. Wow. And only one gun in the front (where was its top turret?) and a pair in the back.
The B-24J Witchcraft (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-24j.htm). An older gentleman was holding court in the shade of the B-24, telling everyone he'd flown in the ball turret. He is 84 now, and not very tall (just over 5' I'd guess); he said he weighed just 104 pounds at the time.
The TP-51C is a dual-control model in which they were offering rides for $2300 (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/ma_p51mustang.htm). The P-51 taxied over to a spot away from the other three planes, and they threw up yellow rope in front of it. After it was refueled, a few of us dutifully lifted the rope and went over to gape. After I got a few pictures they hustled us away. So sorry, so sorry. :7) A guy told me he'd tried to pay for a flight in it but his butt was too wide for the seat, so they didn't charge him.
Nose gun of the Tondaleo:
Nose gun of the B-17G "Nine O' Nine" (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-17g.htm):
If you squint so the ropes disappear, it almost looks like the ground crewman is getting this thing ready to fly. (And no, I never noticed it flying overhead that week, though I did catch the B-17 & B-24 splitting open the sky on Tuesday evening. A local newspaper article says they went all the way down to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Mass., before returning to land.)
Two of the planes. It was a gorgeous late summer day:
The B-17, seen from the line to take a turn climbing a small ladder (just behind the inboard engine) and cral up and back and then out just aft of the ball turret:
Two kids, for scale (who probably wrecked those clean clothes):
As I stood in the kitchen the next night, washing the dinner dishes, I heard a roar. I ran outside, and then yelled for the kids: first the B-17 and then the B-24 came over the trees in my back yard and then straightened out to head back to the local airport. The B-17 was higher up, and quieter; the B-24 seemed no lower than private planes usually fly but I could *feel* the engine noise as it passed. (A former B-17 pilot said this is because they didn't bother to align the prop blades.) Regardless of the reason, it was an awwwwwesome sight and sound.
I had called the field and asked about the 2:00 start time: was it the landing time or when the gates would open? Well, it turned out to be both. From the road I saw them all land and taxi in (oh, the wonderful, glorious noise as they jockeyed the planes into one little area!), and the Collings staff had us on the tarmac in about twenty minutes. Plenty of people there, mostly vets and guys (with or without kids). Call it a couple of hundred people at 2:00 in blazing sun.
The B-25J Tondaleo (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tx_b-25jmitchell.htm). The B-25 is so small they wouldn't let anyone into it. Honestly, that thing seemed about the size of a station wagon; those crews must've been either crazy, or stupid, or uncommonly brave. Wow. And only one gun in the front (where was its top turret?) and a pair in the back.
The B-24J Witchcraft (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-24j.htm). An older gentleman was holding court in the shade of the B-24, telling everyone he'd flown in the ball turret. He is 84 now, and not very tall (just over 5' I'd guess); he said he weighed just 104 pounds at the time.
The TP-51C is a dual-control model in which they were offering rides for $2300 (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/ma_p51mustang.htm). The P-51 taxied over to a spot away from the other three planes, and they threw up yellow rope in front of it. After it was refueled, a few of us dutifully lifted the rope and went over to gape. After I got a few pictures they hustled us away. So sorry, so sorry. :7) A guy told me he'd tried to pay for a flight in it but his butt was too wide for the seat, so they didn't charge him.
Nose gun of the Tondaleo:
Nose gun of the B-17G "Nine O' Nine" (see http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-17g.htm):
If you squint so the ropes disappear, it almost looks like the ground crewman is getting this thing ready to fly. (And no, I never noticed it flying overhead that week, though I did catch the B-17 & B-24 splitting open the sky on Tuesday evening. A local newspaper article says they went all the way down to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Mass., before returning to land.)
Two of the planes. It was a gorgeous late summer day:
The B-17, seen from the line to take a turn climbing a small ladder (just behind the inboard engine) and cral up and back and then out just aft of the ball turret:
Two kids, for scale (who probably wrecked those clean clothes):
As I stood in the kitchen the next night, washing the dinner dishes, I heard a roar. I ran outside, and then yelled for the kids: first the B-17 and then the B-24 came over the trees in my back yard and then straightened out to head back to the local airport. The B-17 was higher up, and quieter; the B-24 seemed no lower than private planes usually fly but I could *feel* the engine noise as it passed. (A former B-17 pilot said this is because they didn't bother to align the prop blades.) Regardless of the reason, it was an awwwwwesome sight and sound.
