Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/02/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]While on vacation in southern California, I visited the Palm Springs Air museum. They had a still-flyable B-17 on exhibit, and I took a tour of it. I was able to crawl around inside and get some decent shots. Since I know there are a lot of WWII buffs on the list, I thought I'd share. I must say that experiencing this airplane from the inside left me very moved, and with an even greater appreciation for "the greatest generation." It really brought home what flying must have been like at that time. No pressurization, no cabin heating. Much of the control is via cables attached to various levers that the pilots pull. Your body is physically part of the aircraft. At around 30,000 feet, air is unbreathable, and it's about 40 degrees below zero (F or C, take your pick). You wear an oxygen mask, plug your electrically-heated long underwear to a power jack at your station, and hope the other side doesn't shoot out your #2 engine, which has the generator. You're flying at 200-300 mph, the fighters opposing you are faster, and your guns are all manually aimed. The B-17 from outside: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002646-prf_001.jpg.html Bombardier's station, equipped with the famous Norden bombsight. The latter was a state-of-the art optical device, equipped with gyroscopes and a mechanical analog computer. http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002649-prf.jpg.html Cockpit: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002651-prf.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002654-prf.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002657-prf.jpg.html Bomb bay (I could just about squeeze through here sideways): http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002661-prf.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002662-prf.jpg.html Radio operator's station: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002663-prf.jpg.html I actually knew these radio receivers. We used to convert them into cheap ham radios in the 60s: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002664-prf.jpg.html Transmitters. You can see some of the airplane's control cables threaded through the ribs of the airframe on the upper right. http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002665-prf.jpg.html Side machine gun: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002668-prf.jpg.html Middle of the aircraft, looking towards the front. You can see two side machine guns and the top of the ball turret gunner's station that protruded from the underbelly of the aircraft. My guide is gesturing to another guest in the background. http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002674-prf.jpg.html Tail gunner's station. http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002678-prf.jpg.html Of course, it made me think of "Tail Gunner Joe." So in the spirit of extreme irony. . . http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002679-prf.jpg.html Photo taken lying on my back on the tarmac, looking up into the open bomb bay: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002681-prf.jpg.html More outside views of the plane: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002686-prf.jpg.html http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002692-prf.jpg.html My guide (he was from Brooklyn, yuh know whaddeyemean?) Great guy! http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002687-prf.jpg.html This propeller was on a different aircraft, but I like it: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002694-prf.jpg.html Cautionary sign inside the museum: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/pklein/palmsprings/L1002696-prf.jpg.html These are records, not art. It was a very high contrast situation, and some blown highlights were unavoidable to keep detail in the interior. M8, mostly with 28/3.5 V/C Skopar, a few with the 35/2 Summicron v.4. --Peter