B-17 "Chuckie" is on the move!

mh53eflyguy · **Joined:** Thu Dec 10, 2009 3:30 pm **Posts:** 98

Jerry Yagen's newest toy is heading to Virginia Beach. I'm watching it on flightaware.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3701G

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:29 pm

I was wondering where in TN it would fly. It was about an hour south of me. I think an intercept would have been next to impossible. But boy would I have loved to hear it fly over.

Tim

BK · **Joined:** Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:23 pm **Posts:** 595

OMG they must have one hell of a tailwind! Since I've been tracking she has been averaging 175-85 knots with a top speed of 191 (220mph)! :shock:

BK · **Joined:** Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:23 pm **Posts:** 595

TimAPNY wrote:

I was wondering where in TN it would fly. It was about an hour south of me. I think an intercept would have been next to impossible. But boy would I have loved to hear it fly over.

Tim

Tim she flew just south of both McGhee-Tyson (TYS) and Sevierville (GKT). Dave and I were on stand by alert in case she landed but it was obvious by the altitude and speed she had a date with some folks in VA she was NOT going to miss.

Ztex · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:38 pm

BK wrote:

OMG they must have one heck of a tailwind! Since I've been tracking she has been averaging 175-85 knots with a top speed of 191 (220mph)! :shock:

She is a fast airplane! no chin or ball turret...we used to cruise @ 180kts going to airshows all the time.

Here's a little start up video from this morning.
http://youtu.be/ZfrwlpKr0HA?hd=1

BK · **Joined:** Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:23 pm **Posts:** 595

Ztex wrote:

BK wrote:

OMG they must have one heck of a tailwind! Since I've been tracking she has been averaging 175-85 knots with a top speed of 191 (220mph)! :shock:

She is a fast airplane! no chin or ball turret...we used to cruise @ 180kts going to airshows all the time.

Here's a little start up video from this morning.
http://youtu.be/ZfrwlpKr0HA?hd=1

She's descending to 5,100 at 198 (227mph) now.

BK · **Joined:** Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:23 pm **Posts:** 595

And she made a perfect landing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXdqc6yrw0k

Robbie Stuart · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:18 pm

Was Ray flying?

Pat · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:33 pm

I don't know who was flying, but here's a pic of VFM's Pat Mahaffey who was FE/GIB on today's trip...

planenutti · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:42 pm

Safe and sound here in VA now. I would say about 300+ people greeted Chuckie. They vectored the Stang and Spit to guide Chuckie in, arrived just as the sun was setting.

K5DH · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:15 pm

Robbie Stuart wrote:

Was Ray flying?

Pilot: Bob Hill
Copilot: Don Anklin
Engineer: Pat Mahaffey

(Ray was busy with other things so couldn't make it)

K5DH · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:26 pm

Yep, she's gone. :cry:

Glad she got to Virginia Beach safely, but we're gonna miss her a lot.

It sure felt strange to walk around that hangar this afternoon and not have the B-17 there. This will take some getting used to.

Pat called the Museum after they landed and said the intrepid crew were just about frozen stiff by the time they arrived at Jerry's field. After 7-1/2 hours in that unheated cockpit in the dead of winter, I guess that's no surprise. Aside from a messy oil leak on the #3 engine, Pat said the '17 performed beautifully the whole flight. That's also no surprise!

They had a massive tailwind for much of the trip, so they made great time and did not have to make a fuel stop. The trip was just shy of 1,300 miles, if anyone's interested.

Lots of WIXers there at VFM today. From memory, I met and talked with these WIXers:

Pat - pmahaffey (VFM)
Steve - AKFlier (VFM)
Bill - CrewDawg (VFM)
Zane - ztex (VFM)
Carol - Carol (CAF B-24/B-29 Squadron)
Karen - LadyO2Pilot (CAF, and her own O-2)
Jon - jbrawner (Pacific Prowler)
Dean - k5dh (VFM)

Sorry if I forgot anyone. I guess we should have posed for a group photo. . . :roll:

B17news · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:44 pm

congrats on a safe journey!

steve dickey · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:48 pm

Lots of WIXers there at VFM today. From memory, I met and talked with these WIXers:

Pat - pmahaffey (VFM)
Steve - AKFlier (VFM)
Bill - CrewDawg (VFM)
Zane - ztex (VFM)
Carol - Carol (CAF B-24/B-29 Squadron)
Karen - LadyO2Pilot (CAF, and her own O-2)
Jon - jbrawner (Pacific Prowler)
Dean - k5dh (VFM)

Hey Dean, you talk to yerself a lot :lol:

As ole Mudge would say; just fun-n-ya son!!

lmritger · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 10:04 pm

I'm uploading my pics now... it was an immense thrill to have the Fort roar over with the Mustang and Spit flying wing on her, and a big cheer went up from the frozen crowd along the ramp when her wheels touched Virginia soil for the first time. It was unbelievably cold up here- around 23 degrees F with a 10-15 knot wind right out of the north- but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of those of us "sweating out" the mission!

Bob got a huge bear hug from Jerry when he deplaned- stiffly, I might add, as he said he had just spent about 7.5 hours in an icebox at 20 below! He and Don were all smiles, and Jerry looked like the cat that ate the canary the entire day.

The most amazing part came just after she parked on the ramp, though; as the sun dipped below the cloud base, the entire sky exploded in an incredible display of colors. It was sufficiently impressive to generate an entire rampful of people saying "Holy $#*t!" almost at the same time, and I'd dare say there were more than a few of us who took that as an omen of very good things to come.

I'll upload the few non-shaky pics I've got shortly.

Lynn

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