Flyby tomorrow in Belgium for recovered B-24 crew

Wonderful job Randy, have a safe mission and clear skys tomorrow. My best friends grandfather passed away yesterday at 90.

Ret. Air Force Col Norbert H. "Pete" Riegel, 838th Bomb Sqd. 487th Bomb Group, decorated B-17, B-24 pilot, one of The Gentlemen From H*ll. Ret. USAF Minuteman missile launch site commander.

Capt. Norbert H Riegel, Pilot, B-24H 42-52651 "Starduster"
http://www.487thbg.org/Photos/PeteRiegel.shtml

Love for you to give a small salute upward and wag your wings for him tomorrow as well if you can. We lost yet another hero, but now he's up with dad and the rest of our fallen hero's .... he's in good hands with great company.

[HPDCapt]

Randy,

Thankyou for your service to our country. Also, thankyou for your efforts to remember our veterans.

[Randy Haskin]

1. Would the missile above the external fuel work correctly if fired with the external fuel still on the rack?
2. If the external fuel would interfere with the upper missile, is the aircraft's system smart enough that it won't let you do that or is it up to you to jettison the external fuel before firing those missiles. Not that you would be shooting with external fuel still attached but just curious. Saw the picture and wondered.

No, there's no interference between the fuel tank and the missile load. They shoot just fine with the tank there.

[Tinker51]

Interesting.
Just one of those questions that popped up while looking at the photo.
Have fun tomorrow.

[Paul Patist]

Randy,

Have a good flight today ! Hopefully it will clear up a bit as we have low ceiling and rain in Holland at the moment...

Take care,

Paul

[Randy Haskin]

Sadly, the missing man flyby was weather cancelled today.

[Ztex]

Ratz! Sounds like it would have been a great tribute.

and
I was hoping for some cool pics.

Thanks for almost sharing the adventure with us.

[mlenoch]

Cxl'd......too bad.
Just some advice passed along to me from a WW2 Vet: #3 should do the pull up slowly and early - in order to give the crowd a few extra moments to take-in what is happening; the mission is a beautiful memorial when played with taps and the longer it lingers, them more the crowd is moved by the presence of the Missing Man Flight. When #3s nose is pointed way up to the sky, a slow turn to the west is commenced. (Basically the emphasis was the slower the better.)
In WW2, there was no pull up in the MM Formation; the 3 ship formation would fly by with the #3 slot open/vacant.
FYI,
VL

[Randy Haskin]

I really like the ones where #3 pulls up and just keeeeeeeeeeeps pulling toward the heavens until you can just barely make him out.

Our weather backup plan was the fly with the #3 position vacant and no pull-up.

[mlenoch]

Randy wrote:
I really like the ones where #3 pulls up and just keeeeeeeeeeeps pulling toward the heavens until you can just barely make him out.

Arrrghh!! You slay me: if I can get 2500'+ on the pull, I'm grateful!!

Thx,
VL

[Randy Haskin]

FWIW, here are some shots of what we did instead today:

http://www.phpbber.com/phpbb/viewtopic. ... =lowflynet

[Ztex]

WOW! that looks like great fun! Are you in those shots?


Thanks for the link!
Zane the Jealous

[jet1]

...sometimes I think that Europe has forgotten the sacrifice made by our servicemen to keep them free. Especially since this is still going on in lovely little 3rd world toilets run buy cowards and despots who want everyone to think like they do. Without the efforts of our men in those places there would be a new 'Hitler' rising....thanks for honoring those fallen heros.

No, sincerly no.

Don't forget that lots and lots of Europeans lost their lives during WWII too and yes lots of American and Allied paid the ultimate sacrifice for the Freedom of the World.

Don't take offense Jet1, but during WW2, differents peoples of my familly take huge risks to help downed airmen, provided them civil clothes, hide them at home and help to escape to England. One of them was arrested, tortured and deported in concentration camp. She survived and come back but with the huge weight of all these horrors.
So, just undestrand that it's hard for me (and for lots of other peoples) to read that "Europe has forgotten "

We can have different opinion on differents subjects today but we will never forget our common history.

I have the biggest respect to these KIA airmen who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Randy: good flight tomorrow and tanks to take part in this comemorative job, it's really important.

Sorry for my bad English but after a hard day at work, it's not really easy to concentrate

but when France decides to not support our activities in Iraq, and I see 20 year old Nazis marching around, and see terrorists kill artists because of ALLAH....I do wonder whats going on over there. The difference for me is that we went over there to help out. My dad flew B-17s as a young lad. I travel to England once or twice a year and get over to the continent as time permits. I have actually seen more of England than I have of the US!

[jet1]

FWIW, here are some shots of what we did instead today:

http://www.phpbber.com/phpbb/viewtopic. ... =lowflynet

VERY NICE! Thanks for sharing those....boy if I were younger......why the heck did I get out of the Navy.... !

[Randy Haskin]

WOW! that looks like great fun! Are you in those shots?

Yup, I'm actually riding up front in that very first closeup. You can see I've got a flag on the glareshield that was intended to be flown over the cemetery in Belgium.