Collings Foundation B-17 Crashes

[462]

Link to the Fox news story: https://www.foxnews.com/us/world-wa...onal-airport-in-connecticut-injuries-reported

I've crawled through it twice, once with my son and grandson, and it may be the one that Ian flew in. I pray that everyone is okay.

 

[KeithB]

From the TV news it appears the plane is a total, crash and then burn, six people taken to the hospital, they expect some fatalities.

 

[Ian]

Oh wow, not good. That's Nine O' Nine, I flew on EAA's Aluminum Overcast, a couple times. First ride of the morning was the best, they do an engine warmup from the takeoff line and finish it with about a full minute of takeoff RPM on all four engines with the brakes locked. Seated in the rear section about where the waist guns are located it is quite a ride as the tailwheel dances all over the place while the pilots check all systems under full load before takeoff. Of all the planes I've flown in, I never felt safer in the air than in that magnificent old bird, but if there was a crash it would be ugly, imagine rolling off the roof of your house inside a barrel full of razor blades and broken glass. If anyone survives this crash it will be a miracle.

 

[Cherokee]

Sad loss of aircraft, prayer for the people.

 

[Brad]

Pretty sure that is the one my dad and I flew on.
That is a huge loss

 

[popper]

5 min flight, didn't make it back safely, crashed into a storehouse and deicing storage.

 

[Ian]

Seven dead as of this morning. Terrible.

One thing that struck me yesterday when watching various news blurbs was the reporters didn't seem to know very much about WWII aircraft. I think it's wonderful that people still volunteer their time and money to keep these historic planes in the air so that the latest generations can see them locally. Like so many things, you don't really have an inkling of what it was like for our airmen to fly these things until you're actually IN one of them. Even without freezing half to death at 32K feet and having flak go off all around, it isn't much of a stretch really to imagine the horror when you're in the nose looking out over the countryside with an M2 on either side and a pair under your feet. Everything worth doing in life has a risk, I'm very saddened that people lost their lives in this, but also thankful that so many people from the latest generations have had the chance to take these kind of rides or at least tour one on the ground.

Crash site:

 

[OS OK]

I crawled through that plane when it was at Mather AFB, near Sacramento...this is a shame.

 

[popper]

Took the kids to see the Memphis Belle at mud island a long time ago, she was in pretty bad shape at that time. Old KC airport had a refurb of several projects going on at one time but IIRC they ran out of $. IIRC the real rosey the riviter was from the fairfax factory.

 

[OS OK]

Took the kids to see the Memphis Belle at mud island a long time ago, she was in pretty bad shape at that time. Old KC airport had a refurb of several projects going on at one time but IIRC they ran out of $. IIRC the real rosey the riviter was from the fairfax factory.

An old tin sign of her hangs in my shop, I see her everyday.

 

[462]

Nice writeup, Ian.

I find it extremely unfortunate that American history is (seemingly) no longer taught in public school.