On July 31st I had the pleasure of flying on this B-17G. The Arizona Wing of the CAF brought it to our municipal airport here in Fort Dodge, Iowa. I took some photos of the previous flight to mine from the ground and some from the air during my flight. You'll notice that the landscape of north central Iowa bears a resemblance to the English countryside.

We paired up in groups of two and during flight we rotated from the waist area, the radio room, and the nose so all six of us were able to enjoy each perspective of the plane. My dad was a radio operator on the Weatherley Crew, 833rd. I had the opportunity to be in the radio operator's seat during takeoff which was a big thrill for me for obvious reasons. You will see someone sitting in the bombardier's position in one photo. That's not me, he's the guy I was paired up with.

It was very hot that day so the best spot on the flight was in the bombardier's seat in the nose. Besides the spectacular view, there was a small round hinged door on the plexiglas which let in about a 150 mph "breeze."

Before takeoff the loadmaster strongly advised us that if we dropped anything during flight to leave it until we were on the ground because all it takes to push open the bomb bay doors is 150 lbs. and that we would then be "litter" and would cause him more paperwork. We were also told that because the plane flies by cables we were not to touch them or WE would be flying the plane.

On the ground there was a man around 90 years old who told me "the last time I flew in one of these, THEY were paying ME." I got a chuckle out of that. Hope you enjoy the photos.

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