On the 61st Anniversary of D-Day (June 6, 2005), Brian MacDonald and I took a ride on one of EAA's B-17's. We started the day at Seattle's, Museum of Flight. In our pre-flight briefing we were warned:

1. Don't touch the exposed control cables in flight
2. If you drop something on the bomb-bar doors - leave it. If you stand on the doors to retrieve something they can open in flight!

Our flight was on the B-17G known as Fuddy Duddy. While this aircraft has no combat time it served as a VIP transport plane in the Pacific Theater carring General MacArthur and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. About 30 seconds after take-off, we were given the all clear signal that we could get up and move about the plane. Since we were sitting in the radio room in the middle of the plane, we were able to quickly unclick and clambor into the nose. Flying about 500 feet, Brian and I just got in place to see our low pass over Lake Washington and the south end of Mercer Island. Looking at the instruments as we tooled around Lake Washington and Puget Sound, I found that we were cruising around at about 170 MPH at between 700 and 1000 ft above the ground!The B-17 has several plexiglass bubbles through which you can peer in all directions in the sky (to search for enemy fighters). I took this picture of the tail from the dome above the radio room at mid-ship.Brian operates one of the "waist gunner" machine guns in the back of the plane.I take my turn scanning the skies for enemy fighters.The bombardier and navigator sit in a compartment beneath and in front of the pilots. Looking forward you can see the roof bubble that they can look through at their station (it can also be used to make funny faces at the pilot).The B-17 is powered by four 1,200-horsepower Wright Cyclone Model R-1820-97 engines. These radial engines each have nine cylinders. Total fuel consumption is around 200 gallons per hour. Normal range without extended tanks is 1,800 miles.We race the Victoria Clipper on it's morning run from Seattle to Victoria. We're only moving about four times faster than the clipper (160 knots vs. 40 knots).View of a Washinton State Ferry from the flight deck. Note that the pilot's picture is being taken from the bombadier's bubble at the same time.The Norden bombsight allowed the bombardier to calculate a bomb's precise release point in order to hit a target on the ground. He would enter data such at airpeed and altitude. A gyro-stablizied telescope allowed him to track the position of the target during the bombing run. A mechanical systems of gears and motors would then solve the bombing problem and determine how to correct for lateral drift and the optimal drop time.

The Norden sight was one of the top secret technoligies of World War II (the other most important ones being Radar and the Atomic Bomb).

Notice how the foward nose bubble has a section of optical quality glass that allows for precise viewing well forward of the aircraft's current over-the-ground position.Looking back at our pilots.Another good view of the Norden Bombsight and it's positioning in the nose of the plane.After 30 minutes of flying, it was time for us to get back in our seats. This picture is from the radio operator room, looking forward into the bomb bay and cockpit. The noise level in the bomb bay is dramatically greater than that in the rest of the plane (though it's all pretty loud; we have to shout to communicate).Once back on the ground, we take a few minutes for pictures in front of the plane.After our flight, we got a chance to talk to Dick Nelms, a WWII B-17 pilot. Dick successfully flew 35 missions over Germany. Given the odds during the war, Dick was one "Lucky Bastard" (which he tells me is the certificate they give you when you finish your B-17 tour). Dick told us a few stories of his experiences. On one mission they were flying up-wind over Berlin; which required they spend a full 30 minutes over the bombing site. The anti-aircraft guns put 300 holes in his plane on that missions alone.What a treat it was to be able to go on this flight; as well as doing it on the 61st Anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Thanks to the EAA, the Cascade Warbirds and the Museum of Flight for making this fllight possible.