Looks like a cool ride, but I don't have $430 to spend right at the moment...
Quote:
July 28, 2009
Flights Offered on Restored B-17 Bomber Once Used as P&W Test Bed
Fifty-five years after it was almost downed over Germany and more than
40 years after last serving as Pratt & Whitney's flying test bed, the
World War II bomber "Liberty Belle" will visit Connecticut on Aug. 1-2
and offer ground tours and flights.
Flights are being scheduled by the nonprofit Liberty Foundation, from
the Atlantic Aviation offices at Hartford-Brainard Airport in Hartford
on Aug. 1 and at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford on Aug. 2.
Passengers will receive a historical briefing about the significance of
the B-17, then go aloft for a half-hour flight. Tickets are $395 for
Liberty Foundation members and $430 for non-members. Reservations can be
made by calling 918-340-0243.
The Liberty Belle, a B-17 Flying Fortress, survived 64 combat missions
in 1944-45, and was acquired by Pratt & Whitney after the war for use as
a flying test bed. Pratt & Whitney used the four-engine bomber from
1947-67 to test the T34 turboprop engine, the first axial-flow gas
turbine designed by the company.
After being retired, the plane was donated to the Connecticut
Aeronautical Historic Association for display at its museum near Bradley
International Airport. It was heavily damaged in a 1979 tornado in
Windsor Locks, Conn., and was restored by the Liberty Foundation over
the past 13 years. The foundation's Web site offers further information
on the "Liberty Belle."
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steel Chicken...
Wall of text critically hits Steel Chicken for 283781273ty billion points of damage, Steel Chicken dies.
Yep, she was just here the weekend before last I believe. I live right next to the airport so she was flying over my house constantly. It's a awesome sound to hear in the sky and I can only imagine how ominous of a sound 40 or 50 of those at a time were.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maggie...
I not only had it a few years ago...Nurses never get off.
It says it was used as a test bed for turboprops, please tell me they put some original piston engines back in it? If not, there's no point in flying on it. The coolest thing about the old bombers is 4 gigantic radial engines growling at the same time. If they do have original radial engines, I'd fork over the $400 to go for a ride. Super cool.
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It says it was used as a test bed for turboprops, please tell me they put some original piston engines back in it? If not, there's no point in flying on it. The coolest thing about the old bombers is 4 gigantic radial engines growling at the same time. If they do have original radial engines, I'd fork over the $400 to go for a ride. Super cool.
I believe it's been restored back to WWII configuration minus working guns .
I believe there is a B-24 doing the same thing here in the Denver area. I see it flying around quite often on the weekends.
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It says it was used as a test bed for turboprops, please tell me they put some original piston engines back in it? If not, there's no point in flying on it. The coolest thing about the old bombers is 4 gigantic radial engines growling at the same time. If they do have original radial engines, I'd fork over the $400 to go for a ride. Super cool.
The Aluminum Overcast comes around here to Lawrenceville airport about once or twice a year. About the same price for a ride or $10 to crawl through it/walk around it.
I was too cheap to fork over the money for a ride, but did get the tour, pretty cool!
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I believe there is a B-24 doing the same thing here in the Denver area. I see it flying around quite often on the weekends.
B-17 >>> B-24.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goat-N-Gitter...
The Aluminum Overcast comes around here to Lawrenceville airport about once or twice a year. About the same price for a ride or $10 to crawl through it/walk around it.
I was too cheap to fork over the money for a ride, but did get the tour, pretty cool!
Sweet, I may have to check it out next time it's here.
I had an opportunity to ride on the B-17 'Sentimental Journey' a few years ago. $400 bucks was a little to steep for me as well. A good friend of mine forked over the cash though. He was very impressed.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elpuerco...
"You don't pay prostitutes for sex, you pay them to go away". or something like that....
2006 BOM GTO, A4, 17's 1986 Grand National, Too much to list...
The small town I live in had a fly-in to our old WWII era Army Airfield on June 6th of this year. Some cool WWII planes showed up. Here are a few pic's.
P-51 Mustang, 'Sweet Revenge'
P-38 Lightning, 'Ruff Stuff' (one of 4 left that still fly)
North American T-28 Trojan
C-45 Expeditor
AC-47 'Spooky' Gunship
Great show for a town of only 691 people.
Last edited by FAIRMONTGN : 07-28-2009 at 02:08 PM.
My nuts have always swung...and without any proclivity to the brand of car I drive
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The AC-47 was the military version of the DC-3 that had been modified by mounting three 7.62mm general electric miniguns to fire through the two rear window openings and the side cargo door. Its primary function was for close air support for the ground troops. Once called into action, it could loiter, orbiting the target, sometimes for hours, providing suppressing fire. Coverage given by a spooky was over an elliptical area approximately 52 yards in diameter, placing a projectile within every 2.4 yards during a 3 second burst. The plane carried 24,000 rounds of ammunition which made it very unpopular with those on the recieving end of its fire!
No worries. I hope I didn't come off as a douche. Just thought you'd like more info.
BTW, I talked to the pilot and he said the piper for the guns was a red dot painted on the side window. LOL
What really sucks for those of us with, oh, let's call it, "the right stuff" is that pre 9/11 you could actually pay to get behind the wheel of one of these. At least that was what the CAF was doing with their big bombers. Man, what I wouldn't give to have B-17 or B-24 time in my logbook.
When in Houston, I was crew (FE, mechanic) on Texas Raiders.
Other aircraft you can ride on:
Aluminum overcast
Thunderbird
liberty belle
Cavanaugh's B-24....prolly others, but that is what I remember off the top of my head.
Do you know what the B-17 that visits Ellington is? I believe its an olive drab with an orange tail. I havent seen it since a few months ago, but I love watching it do touch an go's, especially when I was outside on highway 3, right under it as it would turn around.
2006 GTO Owner
Sig credit Klam
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