My '44 Flying Control Dodge

[Vista52]

That's interesting Steve. A lot of work to find, but a cheap repair. In time, I would like to put electronic ignition in mine as Phil P & Tony B speak so highly of it.

[armyairforce]

I put the Jolley Engineering electronic ignition system in my Jeep. I had to get rid of the Champion plugs and put NDK's in as the additional heat from the more powerful spark was distorting the electrodes until they touched stopping the spark. Other than that, it's great.

[Vista52]

Yes, I think I'll do it. Some years ago I had a p/u truck with a Chevy 454 cu in. It would get about 7-8 mpg around town and 4-5 mpg towing 8000-9000 lbs. A friend had an electronic distributor which he put in for me and towing went up to 10 mpg. Made a big difference in $$$ even when gas was cheap over here.

[Vista52]

Steve,

Here's a B-17G for you. Sits beside Hwy 99, Tulare Ca. I was a little late as the sun has already set. This has been here since 1959 but the fence has only been up a few years.

[armyairforce]

That's one of the B-17's I haven't seen yet. Looking through the list below that I have seen, it's about 1/4 of the number of surviving B-17's, and just one squadrons worth!

B-17F - C Cup from Memphis Belle film ( Formerly Bob Richardson's, now Boeing Bee at Seattle )
B-17G - Sally B ( Duxford )
B-17G - Thunderbird ( when it was still un-named and registered G-FORT at Blackbush )
B-17G - Un-named ( RAF Museum )
B-17G - Mary Alice ( IWM Duxford )
B-17G - Liberty Belle ( seen at Duxford, EDIT - Now destroyed by fire )
B-17G - Pink Lady ( seen at Duxford )
B-17G - Memphis Belle from the Belle film ( David Tallichett version )
B-17G - Baby Ruth from Memphis Belle film ( IGN aircraft destroyed in Belle filming )
B-17G - Piccadilly Lilly II ( Chino )
B-17G - Short Bier ( Hill AFB )
B-17G - I'll Be Around ( Pima )
B-17G - Virgin's Delight ( Castle AFB )

[GTBGUY]

Another B-17G that you may see flying about is the Experimental Aviation Association's "Aluminum Overcast". She makes a tour around the country every year offering rides. I had the good fortune to purchase a ride in Fresno, CA a few years ago. It was a great experience.

[armyairforce]

Unless it makes it over to the UK, I'm unlikely to see it flying around here!!

[Vista52]

Hi Steve,

I know I've made a few suggestions to you in the past which made me look a little silly (A-2 Jackets & Kingman AFB spring to mind) but I'll foolishly try it again.

This book was originally published about 20 years ago but I see that Amazon has an Up-dated version available.

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Cut-Fortres ... 1575100770

[Vista52]

Steve,...when you were at Chino, another 20 miles further east and you would of seen "Return to Glory" a B-17G at March Field Museum Riverside. I see this ol' girl from the Freeway about 5-6 times a week. These photos are probably 5-6 years old and she doesn't look quite as good today. The idea was to give her a coat of semi-gloss paint to protect her from the weather but now she's dirty and lots of bird-crap.

[Vista52]

I've found a couple of better photos. The B-17G beside the road in Tulare was flown to Visalia by Major General Maurice Preston when he retired from the USAF back in 1958/59. He had been the wartime Commander of the 379th BG @ Kimbolton. It took an extra couple of days to find a 2nd Lieutenant to fly it 5 miles over to Tulare because Air Force Brass discovered that the runway at Tulare was to short to risk a Major General.

[armyairforce]

We went to March AFB Museum while on Honeymoon, which is where we saw most of the US aircraft, but the B-17 wasn't at the museum when we visited. Thanks for the pictures though, it's nice to see something other than an 8th AF machine.

[Vista52]

We went to March AFB Museum while on Honeymoon.

One can only wonder if the future Mrs Carr had any inkling or prior knowledge that the promise of a Honeymoon in the US would include every former B-17 AFB between Utah, Arizona and California?

OR

You could have a wife like me. On a trip to England/Scotland, I suggested we go to France & Flanders to visit the graves of my ancestors killed in the Great War. After 3 days of walking muddy former Battlefields and Cemeteries together, she asked if we could go to Paris. I replied "maybe next time".

[armyairforce]

By the time we went to the USA, she'd already built her own radio controlled plane! The honeymoon was planned around aircraft museums and national parks.

[Vista52]

Oh, I see. She's a "keeper" then!

[armyairforce]

The honeymoon was also a little more extensive than just Utah, Arizona and California. I drove just over 6000 miles, through 9 states in three weeks. Lynne was too young to go on the car insurance without a large extra cost, so I did all the driving.

We landed in Phoenix Arizona, then West to California. North through Oregon to Washington. Stayed with friends in Seattle over 4th July weekend. The friends we stayed with were the sister of the pilot of B-17 'Hang The Expense', the aircraft I modelled at 1/6 scale. Her husband worked for Boeing, and he got us a free tour of the Boeing factory and museum of flight. From Washington we went East through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, then South into Utah, Nevada and back to Arizona.

We averaged around 300 miles a day, but each drive was broken up as we visited places on the way. The longest drive was 640 miles in a day, followed by another 400+ the following day.

Notable places we visited were the Queen Mary, Chino, Boeing, Crater Lake, Kodachrome Basin, Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon National Parks, Davis Monthan AFB and Pima museum, but there were so many other great places. One of the saddest sights were rows and rows of B-52's as seen below, but many of them partly chopped up as a result of the 'SALT' talks.

http://www.sacarr.co.uk/warbirds/pics/b52b.jpg ( image is too wide to post here )