Mr. Prophead's Aircraft Picture Site
Tour the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
B17-Nine "O" Nine. From the Collings Aircraft Foundation visited Westminster Maryland in the fall of 2000 and 2001. Below are pictures from those visits.
Click on any picture for a larger image.
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B-17 "909's" take off run Fall of 2000
Flight and ground crew in period dress.
B-17 "909" in Westminster Md. in the Fall of 2001
This shows the additional armament that was added later in the war to the B-17. The firepower was needed to response to Luftwaffe frontal attacks.
Here is a good view of the chin turret. The addition of this turret gave the B-17 four forward firing 50 caliber machineguns.
Our tour begins with a climb up the ladder.
At the top of the ladder looking forward is the navigators position "left" and the bombardiers position "forward". The two men would share gun responsibilities.
Above the navigator-bombardier position is the cockpit for the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
Behind the top turret position you enter the bomb bay. It's a tight squeeze and narrow walkway through to the radio operators position.
This is the radio operators position in the B-17
This is the view from the radio operators position looking towards the back of the aircraft. You can clearly see the ball turret and waist gunners positions
This is the view through the bomb bay from the radio operators position towards the front of the aircraft.
From the waist ginners positions looking forward. The ball turret in the B-17 was not retractable as in the B-24. The B-17 turret gunner would rotate the ball until his hatch was inside the aircraft. The hatch would then be removed so he could climb out.
Views from the left and right waist gunners positions.
For additional information on these beautiful Aircraft and the scheduled tour dates visit the Collings Foundation Home Page.
B17 Page 2 WWII B24 Tour Page1 WWII Page 2 WWII Page 3 WWII Page 4
B29 Nose Art Commercial Aircraft Modern Military Aircraft
US Navy Airpower USN Blue Angels Helicopters