She flew!
And well too!
Sometime after 1100 we took off on her first flight in 7 years.
There seems to be a tire out of balance, and the COMM 2 radio puts out an atrocious amount of static.
All's I had was a disposable camera and I had to come into work, so no pics from me yet.
We will get some ASAP and maybe some video would be in order...No?
Col. Al Maxwell was PIC
Col. Rick Sharpe was Co-pilot
I got the pleasure of riding and getting my second only EVER B17 flight.
It is a proud day for a lot of folks in the CAF and outside too!
Y'all have heard me sing the praises of David Carr, former Maintenance Officer. He came back for the event and got to perform FE checklist calls.
Chuck Conway- current MO has been knocking himself out for MONTHS getting this done.
Randy Wahlberg- IA willing to pull a lot of diverse work together and go for it!
Walt and Sandy Thompson kept the ball rolling so often during the lean years.
Bud Bearce- Supply Officer is on the second flight with Bill Steffel, Ken Hyman, Ole Nygren, Bob Linguiiti, Doug Loftin, Rick and Vicki Thomas, Larry and Kathy Doucette, Terry Fogelson, Matthew Fiedler, Matthew Yarrison, Wild Bill Siros, George and Kara Hueni, Howard and Ben Quoseyer, Jim Fitzgerald, Don Outler, Wayne Kennedy, Al Feltis, Jeff Foltz, the whole Gulf Coast Wing at some point or another.
Thanks go out to Tom Newton, Scott and Ellen Second Air Force, and while he might not have the sense of ownership that he does with the B24--- GARY AUSTIN helped raise the standard of workmanship.
I was annoyed at Tom Reilly when he came out a couple of years ago and looked around and pronounced, "It'll take about two years before she flys!" I'll be darned if he wasn't right!
I have to say that this wouldn't have happened this quickly without the support of Steve Brown, and Bob Stenevik, and Woody Woodford and the rest of the Staff at HQ.
Col. Barbara Johnston was the Wing Leader before me and I have a lot of resepect for what she got the Wing through during very hard times.
Now the second flight...
Had a little trouble with a shimmy in the rudder and they elected to put down at Ellington. Plane and Crew are fine, they are just putting the fix on something that felt funny, before it quit feeling funny and got out of hand.
Oct. 14, 1943 was Black Thursday. The day of the second Schweinfurt Raid.
The USAAF lost something like 60 B17s that day.
Fortunately my Dad bailed out of Windy City Avenger over England and I am here to write of their sacrifices and travails.
And I got a chance to lead the Gulf Coast Wing- A great bunch of dedicated CAF Colonels.
GOD BLESS THEM ALL!
SPANNER
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