WWII Bomber Camp Stockton, CA (photos)

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 6:31 pm

warbird1,

Take a look at Taighs website, and you can see deflectors that were installed near the waist guns to try and keep the shells from going out the window. It also makes it cheaper to reload when you can save both your shell casings and the links.

It was pretty cool watching these guys after the flight scooping handfulls of spent shells and clips, and tossing them into a trailer.

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Roger Cain wrote:

warbird1,

Take a look at Taighs website, and you can see deflectors that were installed near the waist guns to try and keep the shells from going out the window. It also makes it cheaper to reload when you can save both your shell casings and the links.

It was pretty cool watching these guys after the flight scooping handfulls of spent shells and clips, and tossing them into a trailer.

Thanks for the response, Roger I appreciate it, and you take wonderful pictures!

I DID look at Taigh's website and saw those deflectors on the waist guns. My question was more directed at the fighters with internal guns. Would the shell casings be ejected like normal, or would they have to be caught to prevent being expelled overboard?

cco23i · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 7:08 pm

I would like to express our gratitude to Taigh for letting us be the ground crew for the last 2 missions we have had. IT WAS A BLAST!!! Believe it or not we worked our butts off and had a great time!! Yup, can't wait until the next one, and I speak for the entire Arizona ground crew when I say that!

Scott

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 7:24 pm

warbird1 wrote:

I DID look at Taigh's website and saw those deflectors on the waist guns. My question was more directed at the fighters with internal guns. Would the shell casings be ejected like normal, or would they have to be caught to prevent being expelled overboard?

I tend to think due to the shell expulsion, they would probably be more inclined to go with a gas system for the fighters.

I must have shot 150+ digital frames trying to catch that one flash you see in the picture, very difficult to catch, and last year I couldn't catch even one.

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:56 pm

Finally home from work, here are a couple samples from last years trial run.

Steve Nelson · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 9:22 pm

Somehow, we have just GOT to get the "Mythbusters" involved in this and drop some live ordnance!

SN

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:25 pm

Steve Nelson wrote:

Somehow, we have just GOT to get the "Mythbusters" involved in this and drop some live ordnance!

SN

funny, I'm watching Mythbusters right now, left to check email during the commercial!

cco23i · **Posted:** Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:59 pm

Roger, I have to tell you, you take awesome photos!!! You definitly have the eye for it!!

Scott

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Sat Jun 06, 2009 2:28 am

Here is the crude video from the mission we flew last year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ueUJPqWWbY

This was the test run for the Fantasy Camp. We just tried to recreate an abbreviated mission while testing the different systems.

We had several WWII Veteran gunners up on this flight who got to shoot the machine guns once again.

Check out the first bomb as it was a real wobbler.

The sound of the bombs rushing into the target is also awesome and creepy at the same time. I imagine this was the last sound that many people heard in WWII...

Ken goes wild as a gunner. We had semi auto guns on this flight which didn't work out so well so we brought in full auto guns for the real Fantasy Camp. Man what a difference. The full auto guns with the hot load blanks are incredible to listen to.

Here is another quick and dirty video of the full auto guns:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb5robvS9Xw

As more of the students send in their videos we should get better quality shots of the guns and bombs.

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Wow, Taigh, those videos are probably the best I've ever seen from modern times, absolutely incredible! It DOES give you a more realistic sense of what went on during the war.

I would love to have that video footage in a higher definition on DVD or Blu-ray. Have either you or the Collings folks thought about making a documentary of your experiences and selling a DVD of it?

I would pay big money for a high resolution DVD copy of all that footage!

Roger Cain · **Posted:** Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:55 am

I should also mention, that without our excellent photo plilot, Jerry Anderson, who also has a good eye for phoptography and what were looking for during air to airs, we couldn't have gotten the shots and video that we got. A big thanks goes to Jerry.

cco23i · **Posted:** Sat Jun 06, 2009 8:59 pm

All I know was IT WAS A GREAT TIME!! Thanks Taigh and to all your gang for putting up with all of us Arizona ground crew!! We had a great time and were glad all went well. Can't wait until next year!!!

Scott

JDK · **Posted:** Sun Jun 07, 2009 9:12 am

Very, very interesting project, great idea, and I can just beguin to imagine the logistics of getting it to work - well done the team.

One think not mentioned so far (I think) would be the thoughts of the participants before the training and 'raid' and after - what did they expect? Was it different to their expectation? How much did they know and understand before and how much after?

Steve Nelson wrote:

Somehow, we have just GOT to get the "Mythbusters" involved in this and drop some live ordnance!

OK, I want to be on Kari's airplane...

Cheers,

PS: Roger, Taigh, you have PMs.

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Sun Jun 07, 2009 1:56 pm

So far all of the "Cadets" have had nothing but great praise for the camp. Although they all were very pleased and several have said that they are going to sign up again, there are many things I will change to make it better.

After having gone through a full camp I have re written the schedule of events and will add several activities for the students. They will also have choices to make as to what activities they would prefer to participate in as several things will be going on at a given time for both the training and mission preparation phases.

Hey Scott,

You guys sure were great and we loves having you all. Thanks so much for coming up and we look forward to our next adventure. Sure was a kick wasn't it! The best thing is; it will only get better each time.

I understand that Murph had some technical difficulties with some of his equipment on the last night? That wouldn't have had any connection to the special present that someone left in my tool box would it?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Bones misses you all, by the way.

cco23i · **Posted:** Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:40 pm

Tool box? Not bill or I. As for Murph, now we know, heck I got jumped for a short sheeting I didn't even do! All well it was funny!

Scotty

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WWII Bomber Camp Stockton, CA (photos)

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