View Full Version : Wanna Ride in a WWII B-17?



Dennis Heaton
06-15-2014, 12:38 PM
You still have time to catch a ride in a WWII, vintage B-17 out at Wiley Post Airport...

Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission - Memphis Belle Visiting OKC (http://www.ok.gov/OAC/Memphis_Belle_Visiting_OKC.html)

Contact Us (http://www.wileypostairport.com/Page/ContactUs)

kevinpate
06-15-2014, 04:23 PM
one of the many things never to make my bucket list.

Dennis Heaton
06-15-2014, 04:35 PM
KP...shortly after that "Bird" flew over TVA, I caught this with my camera...

8185

"Marauding Mushrooms breach the southern perimeter of TVA...run for your lives!"

RadicalModerate
06-15-2014, 07:24 PM
If I hadn't had to work today, I would have been tempted to toss a couple or ten grand in the direction of that airplane so I could take a ride.
On the other hand, I previously decided not to do the Helicopter Ride at what used to be the State Fair of Oklahoma.
I call it Risk Management. (plus I don't have a lot of discretionary thousands to spend on thrill rides =)

And . . . if you think about it . . . it ain't the REAL Memphis Belle . . . it's the MOVIE VERSION Memphis Belle.
(go check out the Heavener Runestone . . . it's a lot less expensive. Plus, its the real thing whether fake or not. =)

Sometimes they even have serendipitous Classic Auto Shows at mystery hotels in Bartlesville!

Dennis Heaton
06-15-2014, 08:01 PM
You are right...it is the MOVIE VERSION...and it only cost $450.00 to buzz the Devon Tower in a B-17. I tried several times this afternoon to get a pic, but it kept landing on Runway L. I am directly in the path of R.

RadicalModerate
06-15-2014, 08:31 PM
It's sort of a shame that The Good Folks over at Devon didn't attach an inflatable King Kong Gorilla to the side of the iconic Tower for photo ops.
(and pay the B-17 Peeps about two years' maintenance costs to do so. Voluntarily, of course. =)

As a tax write-off for public service announcements.

ljbab728
06-15-2014, 09:09 PM
I saw that plane flying around today and wondered what was happening.

RadicalModerate
06-15-2014, 09:47 PM
As Eric Burdon once said, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood": I love old airplanes and trains and cars and stuff like that.

(Which reminds me . . . =) . . .

When my daughter was very young, I took her out to an airshow over by the FAA Complex.
At one point during the program, they did a spectacular bombing/strafing run, involving some aircraft and a fairly awesome pyrotechnics display, with some of the music from "Top Gun" (a popular movie at the time) blaring from the loudspeakers.

My daughter--maybe five or six at the time?--observed what was going on and said, attempting to properly file the sensory inputs:
"Hey! . . . I've seen this movie!"

rezman
06-15-2014, 09:49 PM
One of the most beautiful sounds in the world is that of radial engines of a vintage aircraft. I was working in my garage on Saturday and heard that unmistakeable sound. I came outside to see it as it flew right over my house.... Beautiful!.

I saw it flying around again today so I jumped on the motor scooter and rode out to Wiley Post to have a closer look. It may be a "movie" aircraft as far as the name, but it's still the real deal, and one of only a handfull of airworthy examples.

RadicalModerate
06-15-2014, 09:53 PM
It's sort of like the symphony produced by That Little Old Motorcycle Factory in Milwaukee . . . =)
(there's "noise" and then there is "musical noise" . . . if you know what I mean)

Of course, the Nazi thugs on the receiving end of the gifts from above delivered by one of these marvelous aircraft, featured on this thread might have a different take on "the music" . . .

bchris02
06-15-2014, 10:01 PM
You still have time to catch a ride in a WWII, vintage B-17 out at Wiley Post Airport...

Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission - Memphis Belle Visiting OKC (http://www.ok.gov/OAC/Memphis_Belle_Visiting_OKC.html)

Contact Us (http://www.wileypostairport.com/Page/ContactUs)

I saw this fly over this morning when I was out running. Pretty cool. Didn't know they were actually giving rides.

RadicalModerate
06-16-2014, 12:01 AM
I saw this fly over this morning when I was out running. Pretty cool. Didn't know they were actually giving rides.

I think I looked up from whatever I was doing
at the time
and marveled at the slow-flying plane
In the sky, to the north.
For a few moments, I wondered what it was.
Now I know.

(but they probably had a dress code to board
for $450
that didn't involve running clothes.
it was a nice, incidental, Holiday Gift
even if at work. =)

rezman
06-16-2014, 04:47 AM
It's sort of like the symphony produced by That Little Old Motorcycle Factory in Milwaukee . . . =)
(there's "noise" and then there is "musical noise" . . . if you know what I mean)

Of course, the Nazi thugs on the receiving end of the gifts from above delivered by one of these marvelous aircraft, featured on this thread might have a different take on "the music" . . .

The Nazi's heard that music accompanied by heck of a drumbeat.

MustangGT
06-16-2014, 04:39 PM
Flown on this one and the Liberty Belle twice. FiFi the B-29 was also a fantastic flight.

mugofbeer
06-16-2014, 07:23 PM
We've gone out to see the B-17 in Denver a couple of times. Though I'm not shelling out the money to fly it, its still fun to watch it come in and leave. The sound is something very rare nowadays.