the Memphis Belle

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

will be unveiled at the Air Force museum (Dayton, OH) tomorrow. I won't be there, but seeing it in one my bucket list. The news reports it was a 10 year restore and is now in showroom condition. Something I'm really looking forward too, along with seeing one of the red tail P-51's (which they also have) from the Tuskegee group.

[Ron Dudelston]

I see a road trip with the grandsons in the near future.

[lew]

Now that would be worth seeing!  

 

I walked through a B-17 at an airshow. When you see just how little protection and how vulnerable conditions those brave young men endured it makes you realize what they did for this country and the world. Back in the early 2000's I had the privilege of shaking hands with Captain Morgan. He was at an airshow, in Frederick MD, signing books and shaking hands.  

[Chips N Dust]

B-17's were a special airplane. I got to.flew in one back in 2001. An experience beyond words

[Grandpadave52]

7 hours ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I won't be there, but seeing it in one my bucket list.

Mine too Fred. I've been following this restoration for a while now.

 

Out of the blue (no pun intended) late afternoon early last week, I heard what I finally could tell was a large plane and radial engines. Scampering out of the garage, less than a 1/4 mile away was a B-17 flying at very low altitude...low enough to see it was for sure a B-17...my wife and grand-daughters also saw it a couple of times later that evening fly nearly over the house. I never could find why, where, what event it was in this area. It surely had to have been flying in/out of Purdue Airport...refueling stop perhaps??? So cool!

[Grandpadave52]

4 hours ago, Chips N Dust said:

I got to.flew in one back in 2001. An experience beyond words

Also on my bucket list Kelly...hopefully before I'm no longer able to get in/out of one. I found it much more difficult to navigate than I remembered ~12 years previous when they were at Purdue. I would love to be able to take him on a ride as well.

 

My oldest grandson by B-17 belly gun turret and at right waist gun position last August at Purdue Airport. He's really beginning to take an interest in military aircraft and the military as a whole.

Being just down the road from Purdue's Aviation school may be a plus...future astronaut perhaps???

 

[Gene Howe]

Dave, how cool is that! Cute kid, too. Sounds like he's got his head in the right place. Congrats.

[kmealy]

If any of you make it there, give me a jingle.  I'm about 35 miles due south of there.

[Grandpadave52]

13 minutes ago, kmealy said:

If any of you make it there, give me a jingle.  I'm about 35 miles due south of there.

Wish I could Keith...too many commitments now...about 2:45 East of me...For those in attendance, they'll witness a very historic event.

[Grandpadave52]

3 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

Dave, how cool is that! Cute kid, too. Sounds like he's got his head in the right place. Congrats.

Thanks Gene...he is a good kid...he really enjoyed the time we were at that event which included his great-grand-dad...That day there was a P-51-D, B-17-G, B-24 & B-25...much earlier in the day they had a Spitfire too...missed it...

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

I've had a B24 fly over the house to a gathering not far away, and dang it really shook the house. I can only imagine the B17 would be a lot noisier.

[Ron Dudelston]

16 hours ago, Grandpadave52 said:

Mine too Fred. I've been following this restoration for a while now.

 

Out of the blue (no pun intended) late afternoon early last week, I heard what I finally could tell was a large plane and radial engines. Scampering out of the garage, less than a 1/4 mile away was a B-17 flying at very low altitude...low enough to see it was for sure a B-17...my wife and grand-daughters also saw it a couple of times later that evening fly nearly over the house. I never could find why, where, what event it was in this area. It surely had to have been flying in/out of Purdue Airport...refueling stop perhaps??? So cool!

They were selling rides out of Lafayette, Dave.  I thought about it but I'm saving my change for a two seater around the Indy track.

[Grandpadave52]

52 minutes ago, Ron Dudelston said:

They were selling rides out of Lafayette, Dave.  I thought about it but I'm saving my change for a two seater around the Indy track.

I wondered about that but did not see anything in the paper or on Lafayette TV stations. Wish I had known in advance...I would have taken my step-father over again...

 

A few years back my daughter & wife bought me a Petty Ride-a-long Experience at Indy for Father's day...3 laps ~165-170 mph in a stock-car ...it was AWESOME...dang Hans device keeps you from spinning your head around to try to see everything at those speeds. I've had a few laps around the Atlanta Motor Speedway too in an F-150 with the assistant security chief; he wouldn't let me drive though...story for another time

[Ron Dudelston]

3 minutes ago, Grandpadave52 said:

I wondered about that but did not see anything in the paper or on Lafayette TV stations. Wish I had known in advance...I would have taken my step-father over again...

 

A few years back my daughter & wife bought me a Petty Ride-a-long Experience at Indy for Father's day...3 laps ~165-170 mph in a stock-car ...it was AWESOME...dang Hans device keeps you from spinning your head around to try to see everything at those speeds. I've had a few laps around the Atlanta Motor Speedway too in an F-150 with the assistant security chief; he wouldn't let me drive though...story for another time

I'm an open wheel guy and for an extra $100 you can do 4 laps at 200 mph.  I think it is $500.  It's on my bucket list for my 70th birthday this year.