flying in a B17
 

I know a bunch of you guys enjoy old airplanes, so you will want to read this post on the ColtForum:
http://www.coltforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14070

Thanks for that post Hugh. My old boss at the Public Defenders office was a b17 ball turret gunner in 1944-45. Lied about his age and they put the litle guys in the ball turret.

We lost him to cancer about a year ago and it was good to be reminded.

For those of you in the Portland OR area who might be lurking on this thread, the B-17, B-25, Mustang, and the Collins Foundation B-24 (the only flying B-24 in the world) will be at the Hillsboro Airport this weekend.

My Dad, Lt. Col. (then Capt.) Clinton A. Gruber, Ret., was a B-24 co-pilot in the 8th AF 93rd Bomb Group flying out of England; POW, Stalag Luft I. He is, thankfully, still with us.

--Dwight

I flew in the B17 "Nine O Nine" about six years ago when it was in San Diego. I met Bob Morgan who flew the Memphis Belle at the same air show. It was the best $350 I've ever spent. I believe they are charging $425 now, but I don't think that will last with the recent increases in fuel.

It says 30 minute flight, but I would say we got 45 minute flying. Between taxiing, take off, and landing it was about an hour.

Tracy

My father-in-law was originally a C-47 pilot and ended the war flying B-24s. He said it was kind of like driving a Mack truck with flat tires and no power steering.

Dwight,

How wonderful that you hero father is still with you. Treaure every moment while you can.

I will spend 3 days visiting with his remaining comrades in arms as I provide administrative help to the 9th Infantry Division Association 63nd Annual Reunion in Orlando this August... I plan to do this to honor my late father and hero... again this year, and every year that they are still capable of holding reunions.

When you see a Vet, shake his hand, and thank them for paying the debt we can never repay... for our freedom.

Best wishes to your Dad, Dwight.

My father-in-law Bill was a ball turret gunner on B-17s flying out of England. On his second mission his plane was hit so bad by flak it had to be put aside. On his third mission (Merseburg) they were hit by flak again and had an engine on fire at about 21,000 feet. Pilot took the plane in a dive to try to put out the fire. Came out about 5,000 feet with the fire out.

They limped along on three engines for a while at low altitude. Lost another engine but were able to keep going on the two outboard engines to Holland. They were so low that Germans were hitting them with rifle fire towards the end. Lost a third engine at the coast and the pilot made a crash landing in a farm field on a coastal island. The whole crew were able to walk away from the crash. Caught by the Germans immediately. POW at Stalag Luft I. 158 pounds when they crashed. 98 pounds at the end of the war, after escaping from the camp near the end and going forward with Russian troops for a few days before crossing to Canadian troops at Lubeck.

About 60 years later Bill got a letter from the son of a married couple who were teenagers on the island in December 1944 and saw the plane crash, asking if he was one of the crew, if he could say what had happened to the crew after capture by the Germans, and thanking him for his service in the war and the liberation of Holland and Europe. After writing back and forth, there was an invitation from the Dutch family to visit Holland. Bill, his wife, his brother and his wife, went to Holland in 2006 and were treated like royalty by the Dutch family and their friends and townspeople. They even arranged for a small plane flight to retrace the route over that part of Holland to the coast and the island.

Bill is 83 now iirc, has some health problems, but doing okay.

Those guys had guts and were/are some tough bastards.:)

Great pictures from Coltdaguy! I flew on the same aircraft about two weeks earlier when it was at Moffit Field in Sunnyvale, California. The folks at the Collings Foundation need our (and everyones) support to keep these great old warbirds flying. They charge about $435 per person for a 1/2 to 45 minute ride. It was a fantastic experience. Contact these folks at www.collingsfoundation.org.

WG Dog- Loved you story of your father-n-law. Thank goodness they saved the world...