Ruralite Cafe: Published 06/13/02

By Lisa Majors-Duff - News Editor

B-17 flight never to be forgotten

"We have barf bags should you need one," Theis said, "but no one is going to need one, right?"

We all shook our heads. Of course not. We volunteered for this mission.

"We also have ear plugs, but remember that the noise is part of the experience," Theis said. Again, no one raised their hand to request the protection offered.

The first thing each of us noticed upon entering the "Aluminum Overcast" was the heat. The B-17 had been sitting on the black tarmac of the Asheville Regional Airport since early that morning, soaking up and retaining the glory of a perfectly sunny day. In a matter of seconds after taking my seat and solving the seat belt puzzle, I felt the sweat trickle between my... You get the picture - it was an oven.

Just as I was asking myself the same question, I heard one of the passengers inquire about when the air conditioner would be turned on. The cooling breeze we longed for was produced when the pilot started the plane's engines - four nine-cylinder radial engines we had been informed had an excellent record. Even so, each of us was required to sign a waiver, which basically said our heirs and loved ones would not sue the Experimental Aircraft Association if we crashed.

The 50-year-old plane seemed to be stumbling as it taxied toward the runway. Our forward motion was halted suddenly several times as the pilot appeared to be continually testing the brakes. Thinking briefly back to the waiver, I hoped that was what he was doing and that the B-17 did indeed "conform to the highest standards of military aircraft."

The expansive window directly across from my seat in the plane's waist section provided a view of the Asheville Airport I'd seen many times from inside a commercial airplane. What this view had that USAirways does not offer, though, was a machine gun, a deadly tool in the right hands.

The noise produced by the B-17's engines is an all-encompassing force. Before it finds its way to your ears, you feel it in your chest. As the low hum becomes a deafening roar, the sound travels throughout your body in an instant, electrifying nerve endings and creating a sensation of pure exhilaration.

Within a matter of seconds - 22 by my seatmate's calculations - we were off the ground and given the go ahead to unbuckle and walk around. After leaning against the window for a few seconds, watching the earth move quickly away, I headed for the open hatch between the waist and the bomb bay doors. On tiptoes I was just able to inch my head out of the top of the aircraft, where a 170-mile-an-hour wind was blowing past. The view, which had been mostly of the plane's tail section, was suddenly altered as the pilot banked left. I saw the ground - its buildings, its roads, its forests, its rivers - and realized we were probably no more than 1,000 feet off the ground, if that.

By far the most awe-inspiring part of the trip was found in the B-17's nose section. Just getting there was an adventure - walking over a 6-inch-wide bridge above the bomb bay doors to get to the cockpit, then crouching down on hands and knees to crawl through a small opening, into another tight space, which eventually turned into one of the most spacious sections of the plane. It was from the nose section that I looked down on the roofs of Asheville, the Grove Park Inn, the Biltmore House, McCormick Field and watched rafters enjoying the French Broad.

I wondered what those on the ground must have thought when they craned their necks and shaded their eyes to get a glimpse of this aircraft, which was circling low enough I could easily read the highway signs pointing vehicles toward Merrimon Avenue. Did any of them realize the "Aluminum Overcast" was in town and would be available should they crave an experience like no other?

Brought to Asheville by the EAA Aviation Foundation in Oshkosh, Wis., the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" is a World War II-era bomber used primarily in Europe. B-17s from the 8th Air Force participated in countless missions from bases in England. These missions often lasted for more than eight hours and struck at targets deep within enemy territory. Because of their long-range capability, formations of B-17s often flew into battle with no fighter escort, relying on their own defensive capabilities to insure a successful mission.

During the war, B-17s were among the most modern aircraft in the U.S. inventory. However, the advent of the jet age and advances in technology made the Flying Fortress obsolete soon after the conclusion of the War. In the years following World War II, most B-17s were cut up for scrap, used in Air Force research or sold on the surplus market.

"We namd this spring's B-17 national schedule the 'Freedom Tour' for a variety to reasons," said Tom Poberezny, EAA president. "The freedoms we enjoy were preserved more than 50 years ago by young men who risked their lives in aircraft such as this one. This airplane represents those freedoms we cherish as a nation and the freedom of flight we enjoy as individuals."

Just before leaving the nose section to return to my seat for landing, I saw the B-17's shadow gliding over the trees below and I realized how lucky we all are that a few have seen fit to preserve and maintain our nation's aviation history. Just as I'll never forget my B-17 flight, the men who flew these planes in combat and women who built them have memories and stories to share. Offer one of them a glass of lemonade this afternoon and ask them to tell you all about it.

If you missed the B-17 Freedom Tour visit to Asheville, the aircraft will be in Hickory until June 17 and Winston-Salem June 17-20. To find out more about the EAA's efforts, visit www.eaa.org.

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