The EAA had Aluminum Overcast at Paso Robles the past two days. I went out to take some pics. It will be in Long Beach California tomorrow if you want to stop by and see it. You can get a ride for $450.

Took a flight on this B17 several years ago. Well worth the money .Hard to believe these guys flew in these aircraft in WW2 . You get a real appreciation of what they did .
My dad was a co pilot on a B17 very late in the war,so it was a real treat to experience what it was like.

Edward

Who's piloting the beast on this trip, that rascal Hartwig?

Those GNS 430´s would have helped with the bombing run accuracy! Its amazing what those pilots accomplished with the navigation equipment they had.

Funny to see an iPhone sittiing in that cockpit!

I Know Rick Fernalld flew it down to Ukiah Ca. when another crew took over.

I was a member of an EAA chapter (105) outside of Hillsboro Oregon when Aluminum Overcast landed there on it's tour. We were part of the ground crew and had the privilege to pull the props thru before start up. The chapter was also tasked with the steps to get in and out of the plane and worked inside the trailer with all the souvenirs you could buy. On the last day the last flight there were two empty seats and I was one of the lucky ones to get to fill that spot. What a thrill. I sat next to an elderly gentleman who had a picture of his brother who was a pilot of a B-17. His brother had passed. He was teared up through the whole flight. What an honor, privilege and memory I will have for the rest of my life.

My best B17 memory came a long time ago when I was about the same age as the men who flew them in the war. The airplane was on static display at an airshow at KAVP (Wilkes Barre, PA) ((say Wilks Barry))... Anyway, it was early and there was a line waiting to go into the plane. I was somewhere in the middle and realized that we were waiting for the ladder. Being young and impatient, and having seen Twelve O-Clock High, I decided to try to get in early so I went over to the table where two older gentlemen were sitting and asked if we indeed were waiting for the ladder. One said yes and that it wouldn't be too much longer. I replied that I didn't need a ladder if it was OK with them. They said "Sure, go ahead".

So, without looking back I walked up to the open hatch, and without the slightest idea of what to expect, but knowing that Boeing had designed the hatch for ingress as well as egress, I jumped up and grabbed onto the lip of the hatch which turned out to be wide and smooth and rounded perfectly for grabbing on to. After thinking for a second, a quick curl and my legs were in. Arching my back got the rest in, at which point I'm sure I looked like a pro from outside. Inside however, I was in a fairly uncomfortable position looking for a hand hold which I never did find. Committed to not falling head first out of the hatch I ended up twisting over and pushing myself up, then stuck my head out of the hatch and waved a thank-you to the guys at the table. I had a nice few minutes to look around before the ladder arrived, but that entrance was the best part of the tour. I felt a special kind of honor at sharing the rare privilege of entering the way the air crew did when the plane was new.

What a plane.
I took my Dad for a ride on Aluminum Overcast for Father's day about 10 years ago. He loved it (as did I). He wanted to fly them during WWII but ended up in the Corps of Engineers.

He used to tell me how he watched hundreds of them flying overhead while he was operating in Europe.

He really appreciated it, and I'm so grateful I had a chance to take him. He passed away a couple of months ago. We are losing our WWII vets so quickly now...