"Aluminum Overcast"

1944 Boeing (built by Lockheed-Vega) B-17G-VE s/n 44-85740

David & the Aluminum Overcast 19 June 2002

See pictures and video of the Liberty Belle B17-G Flying Fortress (16 Sept. 2006)

Wingspan: 103 feet, 9 inches
Length: 74 feet, 9 inches
Height: 19 feet, 1 inch
Gross Weight: 54,000 lbs.

Top Speed: 300 mph at 30,000 ft.
Cruising Speed: 170 mph
Range: 1850 miles
Ceiling: 35,600 feet
Power: four Wright Cyclone R-1820 9-cylinder radial engines, turbocharged (1200 H.P. each), with variable-pitch propellors
Fuel tanks: 2780 gallons

Armament: 13 .50-caliber machine guns
Bomb Load: 2,600 - 17,600 lbs.(depending on fuel load)

Crew: 10 (pilot, copilot, navigator, bombardier, flight engineer/top turret gunner, radio operator, left & right waist gunners, tail gunner and belly turret gunner)

On June 19,2002, I was presented with an opportunity to take a ride in the "Aluminum Overcast". How could I not take advantage of this opportunity? This historic World War II aircraft is owned by the Experimental Aircraft Association and tours thoughout the country. On this day, it was stationed at Smith-Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem, NC, just a short drive away. As luck would have it, the crew was looking for another person to make up an additional flight for the day, and I was it. After paying, I awaited the takeoff, knowing that it would be worth every penny.

Even here, security measures were taken- all 7 of us were scanned with a hand-held metal detector. We all had to sign a whole lot of papers, since this is considered an "experimental" aricraft. Click here to see the disclaimer the EAA gives you before you board.

When the engines were started, the entire plane shook, as if straining to be released from the bonds of earth. The entire flight cannot be described in words... it was a total sensory overload: touch, smell, sound, sight, taste. I could smell the hot exhaust and the burning rubber of the tires. I could hear the engines backfiring as we taxied. I could taste oil and aviation gasoline.

I'm still in awe of the few 80-year old men left that did some pretty incredible things when they were 18 years old. Sitting inside a metal tube, 10 feet in diameter, 25,000 feet above the earth, the temperature inside is 30 degrees below zero, plodding along at 170 mph, surrounded by 2700 gallons of high-octane gasoline and 3 tons of high explosives, with thousands of other people shooting at you for 10 hours. It was a different time in our history, we were literally fighting to save the world from tyranny and oppression. Over 12,000 B-17s were produced between 1935 and 1945. Almost 4800 were lost during combat missions during the war.

Today, less than 100 examples of this magnificent airplane exist, and of those, less than 15 can still fly.

The pictures don't do it justice...I highly recommend the experience.

To view a large version of each picture, click on it.

Early morning- waiting to fly A good shot of the "stinger" in the tail. Pre-flight inspection. There's a lot to check on a 60-year-old airplane
Turning the props over by hand. This makes sure (among other things) that the bottom cylinder is not full of oil before it's started. These engines tend to leak oil; you can see the puddles on the ground. Not to worry, each engine holds almost 40 GALLONS (not quarts!) of oil.

Engine #2. If you look closely at the propeller hub you can see my reflection as I take the photograph.
"Start 4!" 1,2 and 3 are already running
Clear to taxi
Certainly not like your typical airliner...the vibration shakes you to your shoes!

I hope I can move this well when I'm 60 years old. 2000 RPM; 26" manifold pressure; 70 psi oil pressue; heading ENE; altitude 2500 ft; everything is right with the world. The GPS unit obviously did not come with the plane originally.
Words cannot express... This shot is from standing up through the radio room top hatch (just behind the wing) looking back to the tail. Two things to think about here (1) the 150 mph wind blasting on me, and (2) notice the horizon (we were in a steep bank)

Although the plane appears large from the outside, this shot shows how truly cramped it is on the inside. View from left waist gunner position. The guns were all real but non-operable. The FAA is kind of funny about having 50-caliber machine guns flying around... A view from the bombadier's postion in the nose. The top-secret (at the time) Norden bombsight is the roundish object in the center, though which the bombadier observed the target. During the bomb run, the bombsight was electrically connected to the plane's auto-pilot controls and the bombsight actually flew the plane. The handle on the right is a part of the controls for the gun turret under the nose.
The view straight down. The entire nose is a large piece of Plexiglass (a new material for the 1940's). In WWII, a bomb run would be typically from 10 times this altitude (25,000 ft). You can imagine how difficult hitting the target accurately would have been. The method was "quantity", not "quality".

Looking forward through the radio room and the bomb bay. You can see some "dummy" bombs hanging from the racks. The pilot's compartment (flight deck) is just beyond the bomb bay.
Awesome!
Reluctantly returned to earth.

It was worth every penny.

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Early morning- waiting to fly	A good shot of the "stinger" in the tail.	Pre-flight inspection. There's a lot to check on a 60-year-old airplane	Turning the props over by hand. This makes sure (among other things) that the bottom cylinder is not full of oil before it's started. These engines tend to leak oil; you can see the puddles on the ground. Not to worry, each engine holds almost 40 GALLONS (not quarts!) of oil.
Engine #2. If you look closely at the propeller hub you can see my reflection as I take the photograph.	"Start 4!" 1,2 and 3 are already running	Clear to taxi	Certainly not like your typical airliner...the vibration shakes you to your shoes!
I hope I can move this well when I'm 60 years old.	2000 RPM; 26" manifold pressure; 70 psi oil pressue; heading ENE; altitude 2500 ft; everything is right with the world. The GPS unit obviously did not come with the plane originally.	Words cannot express...	This shot is from standing up through the radio room top hatch (just behind the wing) looking back to the tail. Two things to think about here (1) the 150 mph wind blasting on me, and (2) notice the horizon (we were in a steep bank)
Although the plane appears large from the outside, this shot shows how truly cramped it is on the inside.	View from left waist gunner position. The guns were all real but non-operable. The FAA is kind of funny about having 50-caliber machine guns flying around...	A view from the bombadier's postion in the nose. The top-secret (at the time) Norden bombsight is the roundish object in the center, though which the bombadier observed the target. During the bomb run, the bombsight was electrically connected to the plane's auto-pilot controls and the bombsight actually flew the plane. The handle on the right is a part of the controls for the gun turret under the nose.	The view straight down. The entire nose is a large piece of Plexiglass (a new material for the 1940's). In WWII, a bomb run would be typically from 10 times this altitude (25,000 ft). You can imagine how difficult hitting the target accurately would have been. The method was "quantity", not "quality".
Looking forward through the radio room and the bomb bay. You can see some "dummy" bombs hanging from the racks. The pilot's compartment (flight deck) is just beyond the bomb bay.	Awesome!		Reluctantly returned to earth.