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From: rrd@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ray Depew)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Where to see operational B-17's(was Re: Memphis Belle)
Message-ID: <1990Nov17.015358.28714@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 17 Nov 90 01:53:58 GMT
References: <1990Oct11.050916.29421@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
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From: rrd@hpfcso.fc.hp.com (Ray Depew)

The U.S. Forest Service (or somebody) uses 17's for fighting forest fires in
California.  I don't know if they are refurbished warbirds or later models 
built with the same airframe.  I do know that they used to (1986-ish) circle
Santa Rosa once or twice before touching down at Sonoma County Airport.  I
used to jump in the car with my 4-year-old fighter pilot and race out to the
runway to watch these birds touch down.  The pilots always grinned and waved
back.

> the pictures was of the Lancaster and a B-17
> flying together. Must have been a sight. I ex-
> pect the four Merlins on the Lancaster sound 
> very different from the radials on the B-17s.

Must have.  I've never seen a real Lancaster in the air, but I can't imagine
anything that looks more graceful, or sounds better, than a '17 in the air.
(Okay, I can imagine one thing:  the view and the noise from the bombardier's
seat of a '17 in the air.)


Regards
Ray Depew
IC's by Bill and Dave   
rrd@hpfitst1.hp.com