Driving home today on the South Beltway in Houston, I was overflown by a beautiful B-17! Made my day!

I know the feeling. Some years back my dad was visiting me in SC. He was in the 390th Bombardment Group during WW2 as a powerplant mechanic on B-17's. As I walked with him to his car, we both heard the unmistakable sound of multiple radial engines. Looking to the east, we saw an unbelievable sight. There were a B-17G and a B-24 Liberator flying in formation. They flew right over our heads at about 1,000 feet.

Some years ago my late wife and I were in Oregon on vacation. The daywe were leaving we decided to go up to Hood River and get a case of Marionberry jelly. On the way back ,along the Columbia river I heard the unmistaking sound of large multi radial engines. We looked out to our right and over the river was a beautiful Ford TriMotor actually BELOW our line of sight. Just motoring on toward Portland. Shortly behind at the same altitude was a perfectly restored B-17. Followed them till they went out of sight and a few minutes later we came up on the airport they were heading to. To close to flight time to stop and see what was going on and my cameras were packed in the trunk ready to travel. It was a magnificent sight though. I recognied the B-17 as one Evergreen Air owned. They used to keep it at their facility in Marana,Az, but they moved all of their planes ,including a VERY nice Spitfire to Washington state.

That is cool. Years ago I was riding my BMW on I 20 near Fort Worth. A B 17 had just taken off and flew over the highway and it seemed like it was only a couple of hundred feet over me. So awesome. My favorite bomber of all time.

Last night at 10:50, the world lost a legend. My adopted "Gramps" (I adopted him about 20 years ago) a B-17 pilot in WW II, passed away.

Boy, he had some stories. I wish now I would have asked him more questions about his experience in the war.

Rest in peace Gramps.

rusty.... the airshow is in midland weekend after next....

I am in process of reading "Half a Wing Three engines and a Prayer." By Brian O'Neal. A must read for anybody with an interest in bomber warfare in the ETO. In one 7 day period the in 1943 the 8th Air Force lost 100 B-17's and 1,000 men.

During the height of hostilities a bomber crew had a 33% percent chance that they weren't coming back on each mission. yet they kept going up and slugging it out with the Third Reich day after day week after week month after month. My respect for all veterans and those bomber guys in particular is off the scale.

My first and most memorable flight instructor was an A-26 crewmen in the ETO. He didn't talk about it much but he once told me that he was on sick call with a sinus infection the day his bird and crew took a direct hit, lost a wing and everyone of his guys was lost KIA. I don't think he ever got totally got over that.

Chuck died about ten years ago peacfully at the age of 85. RIP old man, I'll never forget you...