CAF visit to Smyrna TN in July 2013 B-29 P-51 B-17

[nashvillen]

Please be patient, there are almost 60 images to load here. Lets get started:

Also, be patient and wait for the surprise at the end!



Overall view of FiFi

Some other outside pictures, btw, that is my daughter in some standing in for scale.

[nashvillen]

Some pictures of the inside in both the forward cockpit, where you could get up in and some in the tail section where i could just poke the camera in and take pictures.

[nashvillen]

Some other aircraft there at the exhibit:

[nashvillen]

This gentleman was in line with us for the cockpit tour. He worked on B-29s right after WWII at what would become Ellsworth AFB near Rapid City, SD. He also worked on B-36s and B-52s and when he was assigned to Dover AFB he worked on C-5s. Very nice fellow and had some cool stories about climbing into areas of the aircraft you wouldn't think would be accessible.

[USSAmerica]

Great pics, Mike! [8D]

[nashvillen]

And, the bonus aircraft! There was a B-17 at this airport a couple of weeks ago. I got a tip from someone I know in the airport safety deparment that she had some maintenance difficulties and was at a remote location on the airport! I was not able to get near her but took these pictures from where I could.

[Lecivius]

Interesesting! I never, ever even suspected the '29 had 4-50's in its top forward turret!

[dr.hal]

Thanks! Great shots. Covered ALL angles.... Hal

[mikkey]

excellent pics, thanks for sharing

[nashvillen]

Just noticed the USB port and the iPhone plug on the co-pilot panel. [:D]

[drw61]

Wow love the pictures! Thanks
Daryl

[jmalter]

great post, great pics, thanks Nashvillen!

props also to Nashvillen's daughter for providing scale.

had to laugh, when I saw the pic of the older woman in the B-29 ball-cap, she's comfy in the pilot's seat, surrounded by top-level 1944 technology, chatting on her cell, a tech-level unimaginable to the guys that flew combat in the 29s.

your pic of the navigator's chart-table reminded me, these guys were taking sun/star-shots w/ a sextant, then doing manual math to figure what their position was awhile back when they took the shot, hopefully the errors were small.

now here we are, 69 years gone, & she can get a precise lat/long instantly from her cell.

[PaxMondo]

One thing that always amazes me is how SMALL a B17 looks when sitting next to a B29!

[sandman455]

Very cool pictures!
Thank you for sharing. [&o]

[rjopel]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

One thing that always amazes me is how SMALL a B17 looks when sitting next to a B29!

Take a look at the B-29 sitting next to a B-36.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B-36a ... ll1948.jpg

[Bobdina1]

Great pic's , thanks for sharing.

[tocaff]

Nice pics, especially of the interior. Thanks

Navigation by sextant and discovery of the jet stream. Now, that was a mission to scare them when they realized they weren't anywhere near where they were supposed to be. That was something my father mentioned that amazed because I never even thought of the time's technology.

[PaxMondo]

ORIGINAL: rjopel

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

One thing that always amazes me is how SMALL a B17 looks when sitting next to a B29!

Take a look at the B-29 sitting next to a B-36.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:B-36a ... ll1948.jpg

Understood, but you always think of a B17 as BIG ... and it was ... until the B29 came along.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

Thanks Mike!


Leo "Apollo11"

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

One thing that always amazes me is how SMALL a B17 looks when sitting next to a B29!

It is a very cramped aircraft. I walked through one in Loveland last year and was amazed at how SMALL the interior of the -17 was.