[loknload]

For those of you in PA and surrounding states.
There is a WWII Weekend this weekend at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum at the Reading Regional Airport. Runs today through Sunday .
It is a very worthwhile show. There will be some very well done reactments.They will have at least 750 re-enactors present. Also The Memphis Belle along with Col. Bob Morgan the pilot is present all weekend. Also the B17 Yankee Lady. There will be lots of other vintage WWII aircraft present, and they are giving rides in them. I'm not sure which ones though. The museum is set up as a WWII airbase and they will be having a USO show with a Swing Band. They do live radio re-broadcasts through out the day. I believe Gen. George Patton will be present to address the troops.
Anyone wishing to make the roadtrip this is a worthwhile show. I probably will be going this afternoon myself ;)
Here is their web address to get further details if your interested. www.maam.org/maamwwii.html (http://www.maam.org/maamwwii.html)

[ 06-08-2001: Message edited by: loknload ]

[Ottergal]

Waaaaaahhhhhhhh! The Memphis Belle is gonna be there and I'm not! It's not faaaaaiiiirrrr!!!! :(

Okay, now that I got that out of my system....LNL, that sounds like a terrific event, I really wish I would attend. The logistics make it a wee bit difficult though. ;)

I think you need to take a picture of the whole LNL family (or at least my Big Brother) in front of the Memphis Belle!

I hope you do get to go...it should be a lot of fun. :)

[Ramangel]

LNL.
Sounds like a great way to spend the weekend. Enjoy :)

[loknload]

Otter, I've got pictures on board the Memphis Belle. ;) This has been about the third time that B17 has been here to this show :) I have an obsession with those planes. I have always said that I was born during the wrong time. And no matter how dangerous it was I would have flown on one of those if I were around during that era of time. I believe that there was no finer aircraft built and the men and those planes served there Country well.And not to take away from all those who served, I salute them as well. It's a shame that there are so few of those B's left. :rolleyes:
Now, I'm getting ready to go out there as I type this, One thing I'm looking into is a ride on the "Yankee Lady", but the last I knew rides on them were about$300-$350. A little steep in my book. But I will ask anyway because sometime in my life I will fly on one.
If Cliff was here they have a P51 in attendence and they are raffling chances to ride in that. I believe some of the Black Sheep Squadron are suppose to be there also.
One person I look forward to meeting and speaking with is Sgt. Bugay(sp) who was a Navajo Indian Code Talker. The use of American Indians and their language for coding and screwing up the enemy has always fascinated me.
Yes Rammy it should be a good weekend :)

[ 06-08-2001: Message edited by: loknload ]

[Cliff C]

LnL - That sounds WAY cool!! :D

During the Memorial Day weekend they had a B-17 at Buchanan Field in Concord (CA). They too were offering rides. Miriam asked me if I wanted one, but I declined as $350.00 was a little too rich for my blood... not unless they let me grab the yoke and fly the beast for a while. ;)

I wonder what P-51 is taking passengers?

There's a place in Kissimee, FL. that will let you fly a P-51 - The Crazy Horse. Aw, man... I wish I wuz rich. :)

They have a website - https://www.stallion51.com .

If you have the latest Flash macromedia plug-in installed, the intro is quite spectacular.

Cliff

[loknload]

Well folks, I was there! What a great show!
I spent 5 hrs. out there today.First place I headed was for the B's. there was 3 of them in attendence. And yes Otter I was on the Memphis Belle again ;)I was even in the pilots seat! They were using the Fuddy Duddy for rides, $400. a pop if you wanted to fly in it. Cliff they had 2 P51's there. They were absolutely beautiful. They did some fly by's and strafing runs.You could buy a chance to win a ride that they valued at $2500 ? Don't ask me?
After I spent a good bit of time touring the aircraft and taking photos I headed for the encampment area. They had a French town built there just about the way it was back then,Of course bombed out. It was very well done.
Watched the American GI's clobber the Germans again, I wondered if the German guys ever got tired of losing all the time :eek:
They rolled out 2 equipped half tracks on them, all mounts ablaze. The Infantry moved in ahead. The only thing out of place on the battlefield was a 67 Volvo that the gerries were using for cover :D But they lost again anyway!
Spoke with some of the re-enactors, They were very precise in what they were doing.
The amount of men and equipment that is out there is unreal.
They also had set up what a 1940's home would look like, Living room,kitchen. All the trimmings of the day. Also the Radio Station, was set up and operating with live broadcasts and such. One of my special things of the day was speaking to a gentleman that hit the beach at Normandy.At one point in our disscussion I all but had tears in my eyes.He was a great guy and I was honored to be in his presense
It's a fantastic show and worth the trip if you are nearby ;)
Stu, I got to fondle..er uh I mean handle a Thompson today. It was the model that I want!
The Armorers tent was loaded with goodies and I was just drooling my way around.
I talked to a guy who has one of the new Ohio Ordinace BAR's. He loves it and says it's a great shooting rifle. ;)

Well that's my report of the day
;)

[Ottergal]

LNL...can you see me oozing with envy? The Belle is my fav...ask Cliff! I am so jealous! It got to spend the last 12 hours working at a charity golf tournament (and I have the sunburn to prove it) while you were out having fun! The B-17's are my favorite...my Dad swears I flew one in a previous life. ;) I would have loved to have seen this show. :)

[loknload]

Otter, Did you know that the home base for the Memphis Belle is in Chino (sp) California? But it spends most of it's time here on the east coast. I believe this coming winter it will be spending it in a museum up in Long Island.

Cliff that web page is pretty neat, If I get down that way I'm going to have to check that out. The Mid Atlantic Museum here is restoring a P61 Black Widow, which they retrieved from some island. It should be finished in the next two years, I'm anxious to see if they are going to offer rides on that one ;)

[Ottergal]

LnL...I didn't know the Memphis Belle was based in Chino...I will have to check that out.

I just found out that there is a WWII weekend at the Modesto airport through Monday. I would like to go if I can convince someone to go with me....not all of my friends are as into this as I am. ;) They are offering rides in the B17 as well ($350.00). I couldn't see which nickname was on this one, it might have been the same one I have been in before. I'll let you know if I do make it out there. :)

[Cliff C]

LnL - Sir, nobody should be allowed to have as much fun as you did at that show! :)

Yes. I am jealous. Cravenly so. :(

Otter (and LnL) - Chino, CA is home to one of THE premier aviation museums in the United States - The Planes of Fame Air Museum. Their website is located here (http://www.planesoffame.org/).

I have a subscription to Warbirds magazine and many of the mag's featured aircraft are courtesy of the PoF.

I'm not *positive* that's where the Belle is located, but I'd be real surprised if it wasn't. ;)

Cliff

[loknload]

Cliff I think you are correct, For some reason that name sticks in my mind ;) I was going to try to get back out there tonight, But it didn't happen. They had a Big Band USO show out there. The show closes tomorrow.
Believe it or not I'm considering getting into the re-enacting game out there. Seems the Navy isn't covered to well. Got the idea to re-enact a beached PT Boat Commander. That way I could walk around in Khaki short sleeve shirt and pants. No Sweat uniform and a part of the Navy would be represented ;) Just thinking about it. PT Boats rate right up there with the B17's in my book, Just love those plywood boats
;)
Anyway just thinking about it, Those guys looked like they were having way to much fun to not want to get involved. "Living History"

[ 06-09-2001: Message edited by: loknload ]

[Grayfox]

Uh folks, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the Memphis Belle in that show is an imposter. :eek:
The real Belle is sitting quietly in her pavilion down on Riverside Drive in Memphis. In fact she has been in Memphis and on display for some 40 years and hasn't flown since WW II.
While I think its all well and good that someone is keeping her name alive and well, I think its necessary to point out that the one you saw isn't the real one. Sorry.

[Ottergal]

Grayfox,

I wondered about that....in some far corner of my brain I seem to recall that something happened to the Belle while she was touring after her famed 25th mission...like she caught on fire or something like that? I was wondering if this plane was a replica since I thought the real Belle couldn't fly anymore--then again, I was also under the impression that she was literally "toast" after the fire or whatever happened, but since I may have dreamed that whole thing up, who knows? ;)

Either way, it is still a great tribute to a wonderful plane, and if it helps keep the younger generations interested and aware of all the great battles the B-17 fought, so be it. :)

[loknload]

The original was just recently restored not to long ago. Bob Morgan the pilot was married at the original. If I'm not mistaken the original is sitting outside under a pavillion. I knew that the one I was on board was from the movie
;)

[ 06-10-2001: Message edited by: loknload ]

[Grayfox]

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad that the second Belle is out there and keeping the memories alive. I just didn't want anybody thinking it was the real one.
Kind of a sad story about the Belle. Some time in the late 40s or early 50s, the city of Memphis got ahold of her and put her on display in front of the National Guard Armory. She was pretty much gutted and sadly left to rot. While she still looked pretty good on the outside, the neglect was taking a serious toll.
A few years back, The NG moved to a new building and the Belle's fate was in question. If I recall correctly, the city council was gonna s**** her. :eek:
But, a group of concerned veterans started a fund raiser to restore the great lady and move her to a permanent home. Thankfully they suceeded.
Aside from dummy engines and guns, the Belle has been completely restored to her original condition inside and out. I do believe that if she had real working engines, she could fly again. But nobody wants to take a chance with the only existing B-17 with a combat record. She is special. She now resides in a very nice pavilion in Memphis right next to the Mississippi River. Where she sits as a glorious monument to the aviators of WW II. :D

[Cliff C]

Grayfox - Thank you for setting the record straight on the 'Belle. Quite an interesting history.

I have the same fondness for P-51's that Otter has for B-17's. The 'Stangs have the same names as some of their famous WWII brethren {Old Crow, Glamorous Glen III, Ridge Runner}, et al, but they are not the original aircraft.

To the best of my knowledge, the originals are long gone.

*sniff* :(

Cliff

[ 06-10-2001: Message edited by: Cliff C ]

[scarybaldguy]

The Confederate Air Force's perfectly restored B-17, Aluminum Overcast, will be in Colorado Springs July 2-4. And they're selling 1-hour rides in it! See http://www.b17.org/ for details and other tour dates and locations. :cool:

[Richard J.]

Cliff,
Back in '70, I had the opportunity to watch Bob Hoover do his thing at my hometown airport, a small but nice facility with 3 runways laid out in triangular form, each about 5,000 ft.

Bob had two planes for his show; an Aero Commander, and his personal P-51, painted canary yellow with the black N.A. Rockwell logo on the tail.
He got the Aero C off the ground in 150 yds, put it immediately into a steep climb, and then proceded to do some mild aerobatics. After that, he switched planes, and went from mild to wild. He did an 8 point hesitiation roll at 50 feet right down the middle of the taxiway. He did one wheel landings, he did stuff that ain't possible!!

I was in awe. I wish he were still flying. Damn FAA. Damn all them federal alphabet soup agencies.

I still like the P-47 better than the 'Stang, though. Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin', and with 8 .50BMG's, that's a helluva "tick!"