This links to a 4 meg version of the cut-a-way
drawing of the B-17-G Flying Fortress.
During the 2nd week of June 2000 the Collings Foundation Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "909" US Army Air Force SN 44-83575 (N93012) came to the Pacific Northwest stopping at Salem Oregon and then at Aurora Airport south of Portland, Oregon. Aurora is located 26 miles south of Portland alongside I-5 just below Wilsonville. It has a 5,500 foot runway so the a/c could easily land and takeoff.
In 2005 (as well as in 2001, 2002, 2003) I was again able to take some different pictures - but in 2005 I took video for the first time - of the B-17 and B-24. In 2007 I got videos of the B-25 Mitchell.
This links to a 4 meg version of the cut-a-way
drawing of the B-17-G Flying Fortress.
From unknown company that no longer exists this is a cut-a-way drawing of a B-17G. This is a 4 MEG file so save it locally if you want to reference it.
B-17 Bomb load-outs showing quantity of bombs and weight of each bomb (in US pounds) of an iron bomb.
B-17 F & G: 2-2000, 2-1600, 2-1000, 12-500, 16-300, 16-250, 24-100 (from AN-01-1B-40 B-17 weight and balance, Army Manual 1943). I have read of them loading 36 100 lb fragmention bombs in a late 1944 against an airfield.
They would also at times vary the bombs being carried in an raid. There is a movie clip showing 6 500 lb pounds going out of the bomb bay followed by a single 2000 lb bomb.
The limitation on the quantity of bombs that could be carried in the bomb bay was the number of bomb shackles that could be placed in the bomb bay racks.
In special cases they could strap bombs onto external racks on the wings for short missions. Rarely done.
The B-17 compared to the B-24 a quick comparison.
The Boeing B-17G is likely the most recognized aircraft of World War II (maybe the Junkers JU-87 Stuka could share this distinction.) World War Two caused the creation of many unique aircraft but the "Flying Fortress" was the most photographed heavy US bomber from 1939 thru 1943. The B-17-C/D models were flying before WW2 in significant numbers and the E/F models started the daylight bombing campaign in England during the first two years of the war. The 1943 documentary movie "Memphis Belle" also helped gain this aircraft wide recognition.
The biggest noticeable difference between the early models and the G (to most people) is the addition of the chin turret and the removal of the cheek guns and the radio operator's gun dorasl that were present on the earlier E & F models.
There are not many Fortresses still flying (12 I believe) and with "909" being so close to home I decided it was well worth the money to go flying in it. I took photos on its arrival day (Sunday) and on Tuesday when I climbed aboard, smelled and heard the Pratt & Whitney's fire up, and went flying in the aircraft around the Willamette valley for 40 minutes.
"The first mission you go on is an enlightening one."
"You hear about what you're going to see, but until you see it for yourself and watch that stuff come up at you and explode all around you -- until it happens, you can only guess what it's going to be like."
- Wilbur Richardson ball turret gunner, 8th AF , 30 Missions
Boeing B-17G
Flying Fortress "909" as seen from the port side. I took
this photograph of the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "909" while under the
wing of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator "All
American"
aka "The Dragon and his Tail" which was also on tour that year.
Head
on view of the Boeing B-17G "909" This view of the Flying
Fortress shows the chin and top turret angles of view quite well. I was
there at
6 AM in
the
morning
so I could get pictures of the B-17 and B-24 aircraft just after sunrise.
B-17G 909 Starboard side In this starboard view of the B-17 you can see the
waist, top, tail, chin and ball turret positions quite easily. The B-24J "The
Dragon and His Tail" is behind the Boeing at Aurora airport.
View
as seen by a Bombardier out the nose of a Flying Fortress The whole
purpose of the Fortress was to allow the bombardier to drop bombs on an enemy.
The 9 other men inside a B-17 were really there to get this guy over the
target. Here you can see the Norden bomb sight. I saw a Norden
Bomb Sight open and running
at the McMinnville Museum during the 398th BG (H) B-17 reunion.
B-17G
Flying Fortress as seen from outside when I stuck my camera, and my head, out of the Radio
Operator's dorsal compartment of the Fortress to get this picture. At 165 MPH the wind is really
strong and I had to brace myself well in order to hold the camera steady.
B-17G
Top Turret view aft View from the top turret looking aft as the plane
banks left over the Willamette valley.
Since I took two cameras with me I also took slides of during the trip also. Therefore I have a set of slides of the same basic views.
B-17G
909 Landing Approach at Aurora 909
coming in for a landing at Aurora airport on Sunday in light rain. The B-17
was not designed as an all weather aircraft but with full IFR (instrument
flight rules) equipment many a pilot flew it at night and in clouds all over
the world.
B-17G
909 Nose Art Nose art adorned many an a/c during the second world
war on all sides. Here you can see the typical artwork that went into such
a decoration on aircraft.
B-17G
909 Nose
Nose and engine detail of the B-17G Flying Fortress. The chin turret was initially
a field modification done in 1943 then later was standard on the production line
from the G model onwards.
B-17G
Top Turret view slight offset to the right as the plane banks left.
The guns had an interrupter gear in them so as not to fire when the guns
traversed the tail. Mechanical means also ensured that the guns never could
be depressed to hit their own aircraft wings - but that did not stop them from shooting and hitting other friendly aircraft!
B-17G
Top Turret view looking Aft . The gunner was also the crew chief
/ flight engineer on the Boeing (and usually on most other US bombers).
B-17G
view from outside looking forward while in the air when I put
my
camera
outside
the Radio operator's compartment. The Top Turret is seen with the reflection
of the
clouds
on the
forward
plexiglas.
B-17G Waist gun There is a very limited field of fire coverage for a
waist gunner. Later on in the war they flew with only 1 waist gunner on board.
B-17G
Pilot controls The sky is washed out due to exposing the film to
get the proper exposure for the gauges. I did not want to use my flash
while they are flying! People who have flown the Flying Fortress heavy bomber has said it was a delight to fly and very easy on the controls. Very different than flying a Consolidate B-24 heavy bomber.
B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bomber engines
3 and 4 seen from the co-pilots window. The engines on a B-17 were very
reliable over all. They could take lots of battle damage and still run successfully.
Engine fires were a whole different problem since the fuel cells are right
behind the engines.
B-17G Flying Fortress cockpit view while flying over the Willamette Valley. This exposure was set to see the sky correctly so most of the gauges are dark.
B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bomber 50 caliber cheek gun on the starboard side. These were later removed once
the chin turret was standard equipment since they had such a narrow field
of fire due to the engines and the physical space limitations inside the
nose.
B-17G Radio compartment of a Flying Fortress heavy bomber had a CW (continuous wave) and voice radios in this area.
Initially there were only 4 voice channels that you could talk on in WWII radios.
Only 1 of which a fighter had in common in which to talk with the bombers. Morse
code ruled the day
in long range communications.
909 is not the only B-17 that I have pictures of. I've been to England quite a few times and I have some of the Sally B, which is based at Duxford.
B-17
Flying Fortress Sally B at Duxford, England in 1998. This aircraft doubled
as the "Memphis Belle" when making the World War II movie "Memphis Belle"
in 1991. A trick of movie makers is to paint one side of the aircraft with
one set of markings, and paint the other side completely different. So that
way it can act as two planes.
The main enemy of B-17s throughout the war were German Bf 109 Messerschmitts and I have a page of pictures of them also.
Now, one thing I found out is that no matter how clean your camera is, once you stick it outside of a B-17 that is doing 160 MPH then any dust inside your camera WILL be disturbed!
I had cleaned all my cameras and lens before going up but after I put it outside the plane to take a picture dust showed up. So while flying I had to re-clean the cameras again. Some of the photos have dust marks on them. Luckily, there is a good firm here in Portland (U-Develop / Digicraft) that can scan negatives or slides, clean off the dust from the scan, and then create a new negative / slide as needed. For any reprints requested that is what I will do first so as to get rid of the dust before doing any prints.
My picture price sheet lists the cost to purchase a framed or unframed print.
You too can go flying in the Collings Foundation B-17 or B-24.
Two other outfits lets you fly in B-17s; Commerative Air Force (CAF www.B17.Org ) and they have two aircraft "Texas Raiders" and "Sentimental Journey".
EAA has one aircraft that it tours and it is "Aluminum Overcast".
