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rickford66

(6,069 posts)

29. I got inside "The Memphis Belle"

Reply to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

Tue Jul 28, 2015, 09:00 PM

Jul 2015

It is the one used in the movie and airshows, not the actual one on display on Mud Island. It was a couple days before 911. Me and two other engineers were finishing up some simulator work at the National Guard installation in Memphis. We saw the B17 outside and asked if we could take a closer look. We were surprised when we were told we could get inside for a look. We talked to the pilot (one of several volunteers who fly it). He said hop in but our gear is in the tunnel so you can't get to the tail and the ball turret is off limits. As he went off to lunch he said just don't turn on the fuel pumps. We have a few leaks. We noticed everything was stock, except for the up-to-date radios. My Dad flew in B24's in WWII so this gave me a little indication of what his service time was like. A couple days later it was 911 and things changed very quickly. We watched both towers come down on the TV in their operations room. We had to be escorted on and off the base whereas before we just mentioned someone's name who would vouch for us. I never did get to see the real Memphis Belle. The park was always closed around the times I was there.

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress: First Flight, 80 Years Ago Today [View all] mahatmakanejeeves Jul 2015 OP

My favorite Sherman A1 Jul 2015 #1

Tiny inside, aren't they? mahatmakanejeeves Jul 2015 #5

indeed Sherman A1 Jul 2015 #6

My favorite Trimotor picture: mahatmakanejeeves Jul 2015 #8

Here is a clip of a Ford Trimotor doing aerobatics Lurks Often Jul 2015 #18

I flew on the plane (Nine O Nine) a couple months ago The Second Stone Jul 2015 #7

There is a second (soon to be) airworthy example. "Doc" A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #12

Uh, B-29 "Superfortress" there. nt eppur_se_muova Jul 2015 #25

If you'll take note, I was responding to Sherman A1 who said: A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #27

My father, who will be 91 in October, was MineralMan Jul 2015 #2

That's incredible. Tell him thanks from me. cherokeeprogressive Jul 2015 #28

I will tell him you said that. MineralMan Jul 2015 #30

My father was a co-pilot with the 379th Bomb Group, Kimbolton, England. Number9Dream Jul 2015 #33

For process nerds... MannyGoldstein Jul 2015 #3

I'm a big believer in checklists pokerfan Jul 2015 #9

A good friend of mine, now deceased, was at NASA from MannyGoldstein Jul 2015 #14

Actually, a crash of a model 299 is what prompted the use of a checklist A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #10

The engineering on the multi-engine aircraft of WW2 simply amazes me. LanternWaste Jul 2015 #4

Search Google images for "Damaged B-17's " A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #11

I would imagine that the tail gunner had a pants load when he got home. oneshooter Jul 2015 #13

I imagine he did! A HERETIC I AM Jul 2015 #17

This F-15 made it home MannyGoldstein Jul 2015 #16

Thrust, the fuselage acting as a lifting body Lurks Often Jul 2015 #19

Was the F-15 fly by wire? MannyGoldstein Jul 2015 #20

No it did not. And congrats, it's rare for anyone to catch me making a mistake like that. Lurks Often Jul 2015 #21

I assumed digital fly by wire MannyGoldstein Jul 2015 #24

Dug a little deeper and found this Lurks Often Jul 2015 #26

My Grandmother, Moms mom, worked at Boeing in California in WW2. oneshooter Jul 2015 #15

That's a row of B-17Gs lined up outside the Boeing Seattle plant. Octafish Jul 2015 #22

Someone's gotta let Omaha Steve know... Octafish Jul 2015 #23

I just got home Omaha Steve Jul 2015 #31

If you are in Ohio... Octafish Jul 2015 #34

I got inside "The Memphis Belle" rickford66 Jul 2015 #29

My uncle William Borman flew in B-17s... bcool Jul 2015 #32