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The Enola Gay Cockpit

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To actually see and hear a B-17 close-up is a real thrill. "The Confederate Air Force" flew one into a local airport here a few years ago, and I got to hear it with all engines roaring.

And I do mean ROARing! Holy cow, everyone who served in one of those things must surely be stone deaf! The loudest machine I think I've ever heard.

Awesome technology for the time.

Cool pics, thanks for posting.
 
Never heard an F-4 at full chat, Mark? :jester:

I agree, the B-17's were amazing. We did get a chance to walk thru one a couple years ago, there's another conservation group with a couple old birds flying a national "circuit". Rides are available but too pricey for me, a walk-thru was good enough. We certainly know when the thing comes around, the sound is distinct.
 
I had a couple hops in a B-24 once, in the winter! The only way I could explain it is, the noise was almost unbearable and you'll freeze your tail off! Also if you have any concern about motion sickness, don't get in the tail gunners seat! I sat for a short in the tail gunners seat on one hop and from that experience I learned just how tough those guys were. I sure give them a lot of credit, setting in there, sticking out like a clay pigeon for the world to see and shoot at. What dedicated men the crews on those buckets were. You gotta love'em. PJ
 
vagt6 said:
To actually see and hear a B-17 close-up is a real thrill. "The Confederate Air Force" flew one into a local airport here a few years ago, and I got to hear it with all engines roaring.

And I do mean ROARing! Holy cow, everyone who served in one of those things must surely be stone deaf! The loudest machine I think I've ever heard.
Click to expand...

My father was a top turret gunner in a B-17, He flew over 35 missions during the war(10 more missions than was required) He was shot down 3 times and was wounded twice. He flew in many 1,000 bomber raids. So many planes were in a raid like that, that the head of the formation would be crossing over the coast of France while planes in the tail of the formation would still be taking off from of bases in England.

One time the late '70s I was working with him in the garage on his '52 Studebaker. We heard the loud roar of a multi-engine plane. He looked up and said "That's a B-17!" We went out side and sure enough a B-17 with a P-51 & a P-47 on it's wingtips flew over in formation. They were having a air show at Hanscom Airbase. My father watched them fly over and said "Yup, a B-17G, There's just some sounds you can never forget."
 
I was sitting in the cockpit of the CAFs B29 at an airshow in Manassas Va once. They were changing an engine, so it was not flying at the show. The guy giving the tour was a Korea war B29 Vet. He was telling us that the power turrets would not track fast enough to fire back at MIGs. Talk about sitting ducks, flying props in the jet age...
 
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