TEXAS RAIDERS- First Flight in Seven Years- Oct. 14, 2009

[Second Air Force]

Sure, Matt--you should easily remember that whole procedure. Now if I could just find the pen I laid down five minutes ago...........

Seriously, the cycle jack idea sounds pretty darned promising. Really stable, wide base to stabilize it, and I could tie the turret down to it easily. I was thinking about an IDG jack for a 737, surely Continental wouldn't miss one for a few months!

Thanks,
Scott

[DCarr]

Guys,

For some additional reference material, check out page 426 of TO 01-20-EF-2 (B-17 Erection and Maintenance instructions). Excerpt follows below:



Onward,
-DC

[SPANNERmkV]

Commitment To Excellence
As part of our CTE program we are going to go ahead and change out these cotter pins for new ones!


After we refurbish the flap jack!

Dry Martini (and Ian) visited us last Saturday and we are gearing up for another wet warm wild weekend working on warbirds...

Does it get ANY BETTER???

[Second Air Force]

Did Bill and Ian happen to bring a full set of blueprints for the top turret fuselage structure, Spanner? Just kidding. I'm working on a field trip to research that project soon.

Scott

[DryMartini]

I have nothing on the turret itself, but the
prints for the fuselage are within my reach.

[Second Air Force]

Well, I WAS just kidding, but...... Thanks for the information, Bill. I think your prints will come in very handy down south someday.

Scott

[Matt Gunsch]

Guys,

For some additional reference material, check out page 426 of TO 01-20-EF-2 (B-17 Erection and Maintenance instructions). Excerpt follows below:



Onward,
-DC

I know we did not raise the tail that high, according to this, that would be a good 6 ft or more. We did not remove the ring gear, I believe we dissconnected the same way they would have done it to jettison the turret, which is remove the gear box, safety latches, and nuts that attach the yoke to the turret.

[SPANNERmkV]

I will publish a more complete story when I can do it justice.
Harold Fogelson just passed away and his son Terry Fogelson just brought the pictures and some Stars and Stripes articles relating to Harold's last mission in a B17.
ALL of Gulf Coast Wing extends its condolences to the Fogelson Family for the loss of a Loved One and an American Hero.




Top photo was taken on 11, Jan. 1944. The Pilot is pointing at the top turret from a 306th BG B17- "Four Leaf Clover". 42-37942
Harold Fogelson- Flight Engineer and top turret gunner for Four Leaf Clover was wounded when his A/C was raked by 20mm cannon fire on a raid to Halberstadt.

More period photos are on the way, including some other A/C with tail numbers visible at Thurleigh, where the 306th wre based... we have them scanned, but they are on the computer at the hangar.
How we came about them is Terry Fogelson and Grandson Zach are helping restore the Top Turret cuppola for TEXAS RAIDERS.

Fair Tailwinds Harold Fogelson

[Second Air Force]

Don,

Please forward our condolences to the family, and Godspeed to Mr. Fogelson.

Scott and Ellen

[Second Air Force]

As a kind of tribute to Mr. Fogelson and all other gunners, here is a shot of the top turret for Texas Raiders:


And hats off to the folks in Houston who scratchbuilt the side support stanchions for this turret. Very impressive engineering and fabrication that saved an incomplete turret.

Scott

[SPANNERmkV]

Thanks Scott...

We are battening down the hatches and getting parts up on dunnage in case Eduoard gets a bit juicy down here.

Our Ma Deuces came back restored and looking all lovely... The armorer wanted the 50 cal. rounds from the ball turret chutes so we pulled the belts from them...
You just haven't LIVED until you have duck walked through a B17 fuselage in 100 degree heat with a belt of 50 cal. ammo all gunky from leaking hydraulic fluid and years of dirt draped over your shoulder.
Unfortunately NO CAMERA for that Kodak (tm) moment! But I may have a permamnent dirt "tattoo" on my TEXAS RAIDER T-shirt's right shoulder!

WE need a million dollars... yeah! Who doesn't?
But we would settle for some new in the box front windscreen glass.
Somebody tried to delaminate ours with what looks like a claw-hammer.

[Second Air Force]

Spanner,

The homework project arrived without damage. My email is acting cranky, hence the notification here.

Scott

[RickH]

Don, congratulations on the article in the Houston Chronicle this morning.

[skymstr02]

Don, congratulations on the article in the Houston Chronicle this morning.

The B-17G Flying Fortress now known as Texas Raiders was built in 1945, too late to see action in World War II.

During the Korean War, the plane handled cargo missions for the U.S. Navy.

But seeing it in pieces inside the Hobby Airport hangar where it is in the midst of a laborious, years-long repair project, one might never guess the plane had never seen combat. The propellers are missing, and the interior is torn apart. The Federal Aviation Administration grounded the plane in late 2001 because it wasn't safe to fly. More than six years and nearly $500,000 later, there's a lot of work left to be done.

"With a long-term project like this, morale goes up and down," said Don Price, wing leader of the Commemorative Air Force's Gulf Coast Wing. "It takes perseverance, and we will fly again."

For the entire article:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hea ... 31071.html

[mustangdriver]

When is the time line, or is there one to see her in the air again? I miss seeing this one around.