The B-17 looks like he was making a slow predictable turn.
The Fighter was moving aggressively and now we know a bit of what it felt like in WW2 on a very tiny scale.
Prayers for all pilots & crew involved.
7
Something just doesn’t look right – something wrong with the pilot or the fighter plane? If the pilot was conscious he had to have seen the bomber.
1
Really sad. Along with the loss of life, why are we taking any chances with these monuments to the Greatest Generation? There simply is no need to be pulling stunts like that! You wanna see close calls and crashes use RC aircraft, not irreplaceable lives and antiques!
12
A couple of years ago, some of us on this site debated whether vintage WWII aircraft should still fly or remain static. I argued that they should not fly because their numbers dwindle. This is the outcome of flying these monuments.
R.I.P. to the pilots.
7
Saw these aircraft at Wings Over Houston two weeks ago. The Tora Tora Tora re-enactment is quite the production. Complete with blasting caps under gasoline containers. It really brings the the Pearl Harbor attack into focus for the younger generations.
The B-17 pilot was maybe 70, and I believe this was to have been his last show. My son shook his hand two weeks ago. He’s been a bit heart broken. He’s considering a piloting career himself, and this kind of hit close to home. From the video we’ve seen here, and having seen the show three times in the last 5 years… The P-63 pilot was likely in G-LOC, or having some other a medical issue. The P-63 was going almost twice as fast as it should have been, was at an odd angle, and I could see no attempt at avoidance, not even a rudder tap. The P-63 struck the port side near the waist gunner position, and it looks like the P-63 actually gets captured by the B-24’s fuselage, shearing off the tail.
My all involved rest in peace.
KR
11
Just damn. Have not seen it and not gonna look. Doing what they loved is what I always say.
6
So tragic, there are no words. Please ground all vintage aircraft, they’re irreplaceable.
That is so terrible: human life aside, two pieces of history are gone.
2
An analogy: the B-17 is America, and the smaller plane is piloted by Obama and Biden.
2
I flew aboard the B-17 ‘Thunderbird’ back in 2013. I have never felt safer on any aircraft. It was a dream come true for me and they raise a lot of money for the aircraft’s maintenance as the rides aren’t cheap. There are plenty of B-17’s on static display, but only about 12 0r 14 flying examples around the world. I think it’s very important for people to be able to see them in flight on occasion. I think it’s stupid to allow any other aircraft anywhere around them when they are in the air. They should not be flying for entertainment. they are national treasures. One of the guys on my flight was a WWII door gunner on a B-17. He had a lot of great stories.
4
I would not want to ground those monuments.
When you HEAR & FEEL a real WW-2 plane in the air it gives a REALITY that modern prop planes do not.
They are much louder & viscerally RAW.
Keep them up as long as possible, maybe restrict their AOA a bit more & ensure that the pilots are physically fit enough.
Think of how many p-51’s are still racing.
4
Fuck the asshole who can’t come up with his own screen name.
Fuck’n coward.
1
@ F4UCorsair
That last Anon was me. I don’t know how that happened. Guess I was in a hurry. Lighten up, Francis!
Best regards, Dr. Hambone
2
@ Dr. Hambone….F4UCorsair was talking about some spammer that spammed this site with F4UCorsair’s screen name, ala outdoor john….that screen name/post was scrubbed by the great moderators of IOTW….
4
“Boeing Plant 2 built a total of 6,981 B-17s in various models, and another 5,745 were built under a nationwide collaborative effort by Douglas and Lockheed (Vega).” Only
Only 40 airframes left in existence, some in various stages of restoration.
Only 9 currently airworthy.
Make that 8.
More info:
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/dallas-plane-crash-dallas-executive-airport-rbd/287-1d54f7a6-05ad-40ee-a02b-961874c52bea
Title is a bit wrong.
The B-17 looks like he was making a slow predictable turn.
The Fighter was moving aggressively and now we know a bit of what it felt like in WW2 on a very tiny scale.
Prayers for all pilots & crew involved.
Something just doesn’t look right – something wrong with the pilot or the fighter plane? If the pilot was conscious he had to have seen the bomber.
Really sad. Along with the loss of life, why are we taking any chances with these monuments to the Greatest Generation? There simply is no need to be pulling stunts like that! You wanna see close calls and crashes use RC aircraft, not irreplaceable lives and antiques!
A couple of years ago, some of us on this site debated whether vintage WWII aircraft should still fly or remain static. I argued that they should not fly because their numbers dwindle. This is the outcome of flying these monuments.
R.I.P. to the pilots.
Saw these aircraft at Wings Over Houston two weeks ago. The Tora Tora Tora re-enactment is quite the production. Complete with blasting caps under gasoline containers. It really brings the the Pearl Harbor attack into focus for the younger generations.
The B-17 pilot was maybe 70, and I believe this was to have been his last show. My son shook his hand two weeks ago. He’s been a bit heart broken. He’s considering a piloting career himself, and this kind of hit close to home. From the video we’ve seen here, and having seen the show three times in the last 5 years… The P-63 pilot was likely in G-LOC, or having some other a medical issue. The P-63 was going almost twice as fast as it should have been, was at an odd angle, and I could see no attempt at avoidance, not even a rudder tap. The P-63 struck the port side near the waist gunner position, and it looks like the P-63 actually gets captured by the B-24’s fuselage, shearing off the tail.
My all involved rest in peace.
KR
Just damn. Have not seen it and not gonna look. Doing what they loved is what I always say.
So tragic, there are no words. Please ground all vintage aircraft, they’re irreplaceable.
Prayers for all involved.
Chase down this movie to see what B17 crews went through…https://youtu.be/GaynFMDdNsk RIP
That is so terrible: human life aside, two pieces of history are gone.
An analogy: the B-17 is America, and the smaller plane is piloted by Obama and Biden.
I flew aboard the B-17 ‘Thunderbird’ back in 2013. I have never felt safer on any aircraft. It was a dream come true for me and they raise a lot of money for the aircraft’s maintenance as the rides aren’t cheap. There are plenty of B-17’s on static display, but only about 12 0r 14 flying examples around the world. I think it’s very important for people to be able to see them in flight on occasion. I think it’s stupid to allow any other aircraft anywhere around them when they are in the air. They should not be flying for entertainment. they are national treasures. One of the guys on my flight was a WWII door gunner on a B-17. He had a lot of great stories.
I would not want to ground those monuments.
When you HEAR & FEEL a real WW-2 plane in the air it gives a REALITY that modern prop planes do not.
They are much louder & viscerally RAW.
Keep them up as long as possible, maybe restrict their AOA a bit more & ensure that the pilots are physically fit enough.
Think of how many p-51’s are still racing.
Fuck the asshole who can’t come up with his own screen name.
Fuck’n coward.
@ F4UCorsair
That last Anon was me. I don’t know how that happened. Guess I was in a hurry. Lighten up, Francis!
Best regards, Dr. Hambone
@ Dr. Hambone….F4UCorsair was talking about some spammer that spammed this site with F4UCorsair’s screen name, ala outdoor john….that screen name/post was scrubbed by the great moderators of IOTW….
“Boeing Plant 2 built a total of 6,981 B-17s in various models, and another 5,745 were built under a nationwide collaborative effort by Douglas and Lockheed (Vega).” Only
Only 40 airframes left in existence, some in various stages of restoration.
Only 9 currently airworthy.
Make that 8.
Latest count is six dead. So sad.