Flight in a B-17
Crew Chief Paul Workman checks out an engine after removing a protective covering on a restored B-17 Bomber on display at Jones Riverside Airport. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
“Hey can you come in a little bit early today? We have a one o’clock that needs to get picked up at the airport.”
And that’s how I ended up getting to fly over Tulsa in a fully restored B-17 bomber. The guys with the EAA are great, I met some of them in another flight I did a few months ago up in Bartlesville. The flight in the B-17 was a little shaky. I’d never felt queasy or remotely airsick before, but 30 minutes in the Flying Fortress changed that. I blame walking through the fuselage and trying to take pictures the whole time, but it took some serious effort to not puke on our descent. It took a few hours to fully recover, but the close-up views of Tulsa looking out a gunner’s window and from the nose turret were totally worth it.
The "Aluminum Overcast" B-17 Bomber, on tour from the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wis., sits on the runway at Jones Riverside Airport before a flight on Oct. 27, 2011. The plane is available for ground tours and flights this weekend. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
Charlie Harris, right, tour chairman for the Tulsa chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, introduces G.K. "Jerry" Gentis, a former B-17 bombardier and tail gunner during a pre-flight briefing on Oct. 27, 2011. Gentis was based out of England in World War II, flew 30 combat missions and was shot down twice flying B-17's. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
Charlie Harris, left, laughs as Jim Carl, right, a World War II fighter pilot based in Europe, is introduced during a pre-flight briefing at Jones Riverside Airport on Oct. 27, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
An in-flight view from inside the nose turret of the "Aluminum Overcast" B-17 bomber operated by the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wis., on a flight over Tulsa on Oct. 27, 2011. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
Downtown Tulsa is seen behind a waist gun and window from the interior of a restored B-17 Bomber during a flight on Oct. 27, 2011. The Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wis., is showcasing the "Flying Fortress" at Jones Riverside Airport this weekend. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
Nose art on the "Aluminum Overcast" B-17 Bomber on tour from the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wis. JEFF LAUTENBERGER/Tulsa World
I really like the wide nose turret view (the first one). It must have been really thrilling to be that nose gunner with such a panoramic view.