B17 Bomber

[Suzan J]

We embarked on a relatively short one hour drive last week to see a restored B17 bomber on display in Sarnia Ontario. I believe the plane is based in Arizona and it is on tour for the summer. The volunteer staff was very knowledgeable and we were allowed to actually enter the plane. I cannot believe that 10 crew members were able to work in such close quarters, particularly the tail gunner and belly gunner. These young men must have been very slight in order to fit in these confined spaces.

Just for fun, I edited the images in Silver Efex using a dramatic filter as it seemed to suit the subject matter. Not something I have done before.

[bnnrcn]

Nice set Suzan, I love the shooting angle in #4, it is my fav IMO the clouds dominate the rest of the scenes in the first two images, stepping back a bit in PP might help

[Mike Buckley]

All of your conversions work well. For overall effect, I especially like #3 and #4 because they are a bit different from the typical photos of airplanes and the people viewing them on display. Great composition in #3 to include the long look down the rest of the airplane and the propeller framed by the window.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Wavelength]

Excellent images; but i am contemplating on the blue skies behind, my mind supplements the color

[IzzieK]

In my husband's flying organization, I know (and knew) some of the old men who had flown B17s and even one of the Enola Greys. Dayton, Ohio is the best place to see old planes. That aside, I like the last shot best. Good angle. Just wished you can remove the rest of distraction at the right hand side. The shot of the propeller is good too. I like that one best.

[Dave Humphries]

The prop spinner in #4 makes for a nice 'selfie' Suzan

[rpcrowe]

I love these shots... The dark skies with the very definite clouds remind me of the photography of the 1940's and 1950's in which orange or red filters were quite common and green or yellow filters were a matter of course when shooting black and white. Of course, these filters did not come into their own until panchromatic film was developed.

I absolutely love old planes. I was near a local municipal airport (Carlsbad, California) when a rebuilt B-17 Flying Fortress landed followed by a rebuilt B-24 Liberator. That was a thrilling site but, I did not have a camera with me and that was the era before cell phones were viable...

My wife's dad flew as a navigator in B-17 aircraft out of the Aleutian Islands.

The Flying Fortresses were great aircraft but, had their limitations. They weren't particularly good for close air support or for anti ship bombing, but, they were used for both of these. In fact when the Navy dive bombers smacked the heck out of the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway (sinking four Japanese aircraft carriers) the Army Air Corps claimed the victory for B-17 aircraft which did attack the Japanese but which did not score a single hit...

[Suzan J]

Thanks for the comments everyone. As a special note to Richard, I am almost certain that the tour guide had explained that this particular craft had not seen combat in Europe, but rather had been assigned to "Alaska". I believe that the Aleutians Islands have some connection to "Alaska". Wouldn't it be something if your father-in-law had served on this very plane.

[rpcrowe]

I will need to research this aircraft. This site gives a pretty good history of the aircraft after it was retired from military duty but, not much about what it did in the military. If my wife's dad flew aboard this bird, I think that would have been his seat as a navigator (or perhaps that was the radioman's seat)

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b17re...7-4483514.html

Nope not my father-in-law's aircraft!... This is a more extensive history of the aircraft:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentim...ney_(aircraft)

I was never able to meet the gentleman because he died prior to me marrying his daughter. His wife, my mother-in-law knew very little about his wartime service although she met and married him while he was in the Army Air Corps.

Note: although the weather in the Aleutians (which are located between Alaska and Russia) is absolutely horrible, the flyers in that theater of the war did not suffer he casualties that bombers from the 8th Air Force, flying out of England suffered; until the P-51 Mustang fighter was introduced which could provide the B-17 and B-24 bombers with cover during their longest portions of the raids against Nazi Germany.

For general information: The Royal Air Force heavy bombers bombed Germany and the surrounding areas at night while the B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators bombed during the day. That amounted to pounding the enemy 24 hours a day at times...