Latest news with #B-17
3 days ago
- General
Unlikely reunion between 2 World War II veterans
A radio navigator on a B-17 bomber and a ground crew armorer, who both served in Italy, reconnected after they were discovered to be living about 15 minutes away from each other.
7 days ago
- General
80 Years On: Visually Impaired Faced Fear of Unseen Enemy Plane Attacks
Kyoto, Aug. 6 (Jiji Press)--In the closing months of World War II, people with disabilities in Japan, like their able-bodied neighbors, desperately sought shelter from relentless air raids. "I couldn't move my hands or legs because of the sounds of machine-gun fire," recalled Isao Shirahata, an 89-year-old resident of Kyoto, western Japan, who is visually impaired. "Such a terrifying thing must never happen again." Shirahata was born with low vision due to glaucoma. As a child, he lost sight in his left eye after accidentally striking it on a bicycle brake lever, leaving him with only limited vision in his right eye. In April 1944, at 8 years old, Shirahata enrolled in the Kyoto prefectural school for the blind in the capital city, leaving his family home in Miyazu, Kyoto Prefecture, to live in the school's dormitory. To help students protect themselves, music teachers played recordings of U.S. military aircraft sounds, training them to recognize the approach of enemy planes. "The B-17 had a heavy, rumbling sound. The Curtiss had a light, whirring sound," Shirahata remembered. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Epoch Times
16-07-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler: Honor Among Enemies
During World War II, a German fighter pilot chose not to shoot down an American B-17 bomber during a battle. The bomber's American pilot, Charles 'Charlie' Brown, always wondered why. More than four decades later, the two would meet again and become friends for several years until they both passed away just months apart. It was five days before Christmas in 1943. Brown, 21, was piloting a B-17 on his first mission. He was ordered to attack a German fighter plane factory. Brown's plane, coined 'Ye Olde Pub,' was put into lead formation near the site and quickly started taking heavy fire.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Unique WWII bomber ride experience offered in Urbana for limited time
Previous aviation coverage above. DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Have you ever wanted to ride in a WWII TBM Avenger torpedo bomber aircraft? The Capital Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) will offer warbird rides at Grimes Field on Monday, June 23 and Tuesday, June 24. The airport is located on Route 68 at 1636 N. Main St., Urbana. 'We're thrilled to be returning to one of the significant airports in aviation history and offering warbird rides in the largest single-engine bomber of WWII,' said Pete Ballard, Capital Wing Warbird Rides Coordinator. MAP: Miami Valley county fairs 2025 The Doris Mae is one of the few warbirds that two people can fly in alongside the pilot. There will be a limited number of tickets available for this experience. All riders must be 12+ and able to climb in/out of the cockpit unassisted. It is $900 for the observer seat behind the pilot, $450 for the turret seat – or $1,250 for both. To book a spot, click here. 'A warbird ride is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We tell people not to miss the opportunity when it comes around,' said Ballard. 'Riding in the TBM Avenger engages all your senses: sight, sound, smell, and touch. You become a part of the warbird. You experience living history.' For people visiting Grimes Field to observe the aircraft, there are also three aviation museums nearby. The Champaign Aviation Museum, where a B-17 bomber is being restored. Grimes Flying Lab Foundation and the Ohio Restoration Wing of the Mid-America Flight Museum. The National Museum of the United States Air Force is located in Dayton, just 30 miles from Grimes Field. To see the Capital Wing TBM Avenger in action, including engine start, wing unfold and taking off, click here. Flights not sold in advance will be available on a walk-up basis at the airport. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Illinois man has spent 40 years rebuilding a WWII-era B-17 bomber in his barn
A man in Marengo, Illinois, is on a mission to fully restore a World War II-era B-17 bomber—a project he's been diligently working on in a roadside barn for the past 40 years. A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Mike Kellner began his journey in high school after hearing that a junkyard in Maine was looking to offload the abandoned remains of the historic bomber. The asking price was '$7,000 or best offer' for a collection of disassembled parts. Kellner loaded the 75-foot aluminum behemoth onto a house trailer (he had to extend it by about 10 feet) and hauled it halfway across the country with a pickup truck. It's lived in his barn ever since. Kellner shared the decades-long story of his restoration project with local outlet WGN earlier this week. And unlike many World War II-era roadside relics, this one isn't just collecting dust. Kellner has spent countless hours working to restore the plane to its former glory, performing his own repairs, adding finishing touches, and tracking down an array of rare and hard-to-find parts. Word of his efforts spread, attracting other aviation enthusiasts who have volunteered their time over the years to assist with the restoration. Kellner documents the entire process on a Facebook page, which features thousands of update posts dating back to 2010. He doesn't just want the project to be something pretty to look at—he wants it to fly. 'It is a piece of history, and I would like the opportunity to fly it,' Kellner told WGN. Popular Science reached out to Kellner for more details but has not heard back. The B-17 was the most iconic bomber used by the US military during the second World War. Its origin actually traces back a decade earlier to 1934, when the Army Air Corps approached Boeing with an ask to design and develop a massive plane capable of carrying bombs at 10,000 feet and for more than 10 hours. The military wanted a new breed of bomber that would be able to travel beyond enemy lines at great distances and drop bombs with precision. It needed to be able to reach altitudes high enough to fly outside of the range of enemy antiaircraft artillery. The eventual B-17 featured a state-of-the-art Norden bombsight to maintain accuracy even at extreme altitudes. Early versions of the B-17 entered production in 1937, but manufacturing ramped up significantly after the U.S. officially entered World War II in 1941. The bomber that eventually flew missions behind enemy lines featured four engines—a major upgrade from the then-standard two—and was equipped with a smattering of gun turrets, including ones in the nose, upper fuselage, and tail. This cornucopia of munitions, combined with the aircraft's mammoth size, earned it the nickname 'Flying Fortress.' The B-17 currently being resurrected in Kellner's barn reportedly carries two names. One, 'Desert Rat,' is painted in bold yellow lettering on the aircraft's exterior. The other, 'Tangerine,' was discovered later, scrawled somewhere inside the unclear how much longer Kellner will need to make his dream of flying the Desert Rat a reality. The task seems like a daunting one for someone working part-time on a shoestring budget but then again, few would have likely predicted he would have made it this far to begin with. You can keep up with all of Kellner's progress by following his official Facebook page here.
