My ride in the B-17, Nine-O-Nine.

November 10, 2002
7:30 AM
Overcast Skies

Yet none of this stopped me from making the early morning drive to take a ride in the Collings Foundation's B-17 Flying Fortress. There is a lot of History behind this old bird yet she still lumbers into the sky on a daily basis visiting airshows all over and give people the rare chance to take a ride under far more friendly circumstances than the young men did during the war to give us the freedom we enjoy today. It was a great experience and my thanks go to everyone involved in keeping this warbird in the air. Here are a few pictures from the flight. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the flight.

What a convertible!! Head out the top at about 175 MPH		SPECIFICATIONS Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress Wingspan 103 feet, 9.3 inches Length 74 feet, 9 inches Height 19 feet, 1 inch Empty weight 36,135 pounds Max. weight 72,000 pounds Powerplants Four 1200 hp Wright R-1820-97 Engines Armament 13 M2 50" Browning Machine Guns Crew 10 Performance Max Speed: 250 mph Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft Range: 2,400 miles		Best seat in the house. In the nose at 1500' above the lake.