B-17 Ride Information

[bmoran]

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to fly in a B-17. It looks like I will be able to pull the trigger this summer to get myself and my father up in the air in the classic Flying Fortress. Since many here have taken a flight experience (or more!), I wanted to prepare myself as best I could. Usually a 17 or two visits our state of New York every year. How can we best prepare for the experience? What can we expect for visiting the various stations inflight? Do they offer souvenir recordings? What about (re)scheduling around weather and mx issues? For those who have had multiple RECENT experiences, can you objectively compare and contrast the groups (Collings vs CAF vs YAF vs Liberty etc)? I'm not looking to have a pissing match, but to gather information so I can best choose the experience that lines up with my desires.

[mustangdriver]

Working on the EAA B-17 Program I can tell you some about ours. First off if there is weather or mtc you get your choice of a refund or reschedule. Whichever works best for you. During the flight you get to experience most of the crew positions. Not the tail or ball turret. We have a PX that travels with the aircraft as well. If there is anything I can answer for you, let me know.

[JimH]

Collings visits NY every year. We will be in Poughkeepsie Sept 26th through 29th, and White Plains Sept. 29th through October 2nd...and maybe one or 2 more in 2016. There are several things you can do to prepare. I would personally carry a small camera or use a cell phone camera. It is cumbersome to crawl around with a big 35mm. Make sure you see all the crew positions. The nose is certainly the most spectacular position but make sure you stand on the flight deck, top turret and the radio room. Take pictures, but also make sure you soak it in as a visual experience. Wear comfortable clothing. Tennis shoes and light clothing is best, unless it is really cold. Wear ear plugs. It's loud, kinda like being under a tin roof in a hail storm. Sounds great on the outside, not so much on the inside.

Weather and MX are the biggest variables. Collings is very proactive about keeping customers in the loop under those circumstances. I'm sure all the touring groups are. These are 70 year old airplanes, and weather is not guaranteed. Rescheduling is usually not a problem. We require a minimum crew of 6 to launch a flight. Hope this helps.

Jim

[kalamazookid]

I've been up with the Collings Foundation and I would highly recommend flying with them. It was a first-class experience all the way through. Being in the nose is definitely the highlight. You can feel a little precarious sitting in that little stool, but take your time up there and savor the time you get to spend in the nose. That's the area that really made me realize just what kind of guts the guys who flew in those plans had. Just thinking about sitting up there and watching flack rise up to meet you... yikes. I would also recommend swinging around the waist guns and scanning the skies for enemy fighters . Definitely spend a couple minutes on the flight deck watching the crew, too. Be careful walking through the bomb bay- if you're not sure of foot (like me), it can be a little nerve-wracking.

I would second what Jim said about cameras. Don't bring anything bulky. It will just get in the way. A small digital that can fit in your pocket is the way to go. Don't document/record the whole thing. Soak in the experience! I can't imagine holding up a camera through the whole flight without it getting in the way. If I had a regret from my experience, it's that I wish I would have had someone take a picture of me in the plane during the flight.

If you have a warm day, dress light. I rode in late in July and it was HOT! I went without ear plugs because I'm used to loud noise, but ear plugs are probably a good recommendation if you're not used to it. I brought a small pair of binoculars with me to sight-see, but ended up not using them. There will be plenty to look at and experience on board with the airplane!

Hope you have a great experience with your B-17 flight!

[cco23i]

If you REALLY want an experience check into the Bomber fantasy camp in 2016.

http://www.planetreg.com/E610101818154966

[Vagabond]

My one ride in a B-17 was back in 2002 aboard CF's "Nine-O-Nine." It was a blast!!! Quite literally a dream come true.

As this was back when digital cameras were in their infancy, I went aboard with my trusty Panasonic digital video camera (of course it recorded to tape, not an SD card) and had it running for the entire flight. I just left it running and pointed it at everything in sight. I was seated in the waist section to start, so I held it up and pointed it out the waist window to get footage of taxiing and takeoff and later edited that together with footage I had taken of a different flight taking off and I ended up with a cool 2 camera video!! My shots inside cut to the B-17 taking off and back, etc, etc. Pretty neat for an amateur in 2002!

We were allowed up right after takeoff and I made sure to take time at every station. The nose was most popular, so I loitered in the waist and radio room, spent time with my head, shoulders and video camera sticking out into the slipstream. I hung out in the bomb bay and made my way forward, savoring everything. Climbed into the bombardier's seat and took that in.

Anyway, I had made friends with fellow adventurers and they took photos while I did the video and we made a deal to share our results with each other.

I recommend having a friend come along with a video capable camera and get footage of you two walking out to the bird and climbing in, engine start and taxi and takeoff, flight and landing footage. That way you can concentrate on enjoying the experience and edit stuff from the onboard video footage you take aloft.

Before you go, make sure you stretch your face muscles to keep the flexibility - you will need it, cause you'll be grinning like a madman for the duration of the experience. I'm grinning NOW in memory of that day!!

It was about experiencing and by leaving the video camera running, I got terrific footage without having to pay attention to it. I avoided the trap of "doing" through the camera instead of actually living it - you know, like people at an airshow that "watch" the plane flyby on the screen of their iPhone.

If I had the chance to do the ride today, I'd bring a small video camera and attach it to my shoulder via a clamp (Peak Design's Capture POV is AWESOME - see it here: https://www.peakdesign.com/product/clips/capturepov) and have it running the entire time. If you don't own a GoPro you can rent them from LensRentals.com. IF you want to avoid the bent props that you often get with rolling shutter in cameras like the GoPRo, get something that allows you to adjust shutter speed down to 125 to smooth things out.

Enjoy!
VB

[K5DH]

I'm a "veteran" of many warbird B-17 and B-24 flights, both as a crew member and as a paying guest, so I'll throw in my two cents' worth.

I agree with the other guys' suggestion about carrying a small camera. It's best if that camera has a wrist or neck strap, too. I also agree with the suggestion that you limit the number of photos you take, and just enjoy the experience. That 30-minute ride will be over before you know it, and it would be a shame for you to miss the experience because you're so intent on taking pictures!

Other suggestions:
- If you wear eye glasses or sun glasses, put 'em on a neck lanyard, because they may fall off and end up in some really inaccessible place for the rest of the flight.
- Don't have anything hanging off of you, such as a pager or phone on your belt, because they'll probably get knocked off and end up in some really inaccessible place for the rest of the flight.
- Don't wear loose, baggy clothing, as you run the risk of snagging on the many sharp-edged protrusions that abound in these old warhorses.
- Use the restroom at the airport before you take off.
- It's probably best to leave your water bottle on the ground, unless you can't go 30 minutes without a sip.
- You're probably better off leaving your baseball cap behind. I've seen them get blown off peoples' heads and depart the airplane through open hatches, such as the radio room escape hatch. (or the open waist gunner hatches on B-24s).
- If you do drop something into an inaccessible place, such as down onto the bomb bay doors, LEAVE IT THERE and tell the crew member who's assisting the guests (NOT the pilot or co-pilot!).
- Do NOT bother the pilot or co-pilot.
- Don't take flash photos in the flight deck because the flash will temporarily blind the flight crew.
- PAY ATTENTION to the pre-flight safety briefing. Your safety is kinda important.

Above all, savor the experience! You paid a lot of money for it. Don't miss it!

[mustangdriver]

I'm sure the flight is similar on each B-17. If you are for sure looking to experience all of the positions on the plane, be sure to ask if the ride will include that. There are a couple of programs that allow you to purchase a particular seat and you do not get to go into the nose. Just be sure to ask.

[Jerry O'Neill]

What everyone else says is good advice, but make sure you don't take your whole ride looking though the camera the whole time. Put it down and soak in the sight, smell, sound and feel of the experience. And it is an experience! If you have watched movies, documentaries and listen to veterans stories, then you WILL experience almost everything they did except perhaps the cold, being on O2 and somebody shooting at you. The aircraft moves, wiggles, makes noises, it's drafty and your can find it hard to talk normal. Also, when you're in the waist, you might feel the rudder a bit. There's a lot going on and if you you like history and reading about these beasts of the air, you'll have a real sense of what they went through the next time you read something and appreciate the brave young men even more.
have fun and let us know how it goes!

[Nathan]

And it is an experience! If you have watched movies, documentaries and listen to veterans stories, then you WILL experience almost everything they did except perhaps the cold, being on O2 and somebody shooting at you. The aircraft moves, wiggles, makes noises, it's drafty and your can find it hard to talk normal. Also, when you're in the waist, you might feel the rudder a bit. There's a lot going on and if you you like history and reading about these beasts of the air, you'll have a real sense of what they went through.

+2!!!!! The best is being able to experience a little. I found my B-17 ride rather confident. It will make you feel confident. And you will also have a smile on your face for your entire life after the ride! I still smile every time I think about my ride!

[bmoran]

Thank you all for the input thus far! I cannot wait for the 2016 tour information to come out!