B17 Flight - anyone done it - review

[1308682]

Hi there,

Heading over from Australia for 1st Airventure with 18 yo son. Looking for feedback reviews on those that have experienced B17 flight. Son is aviation crazy and I know a flight in a B17 would rock his world.

[mazdaP5]

I've never done it, so I don't speak from experience. I can't imagine it not being worth every cent. Bit of a once in a lifetime opportunity, that gets less likely to happen every year.

[skyranger]

I gave ( bought the ticket ) my 14 year Grandson a ride last year and he loved it . He had two thoughts about the flight . 1. very loud 2. he thought about all the men that were on them in WW2 that gave their lifes for our country

[CHICAGORANDY]

Get your tickets as early as you can. It has been known to sell out. I can't speak to the B-17 but a ride on one of the Ford Tri-Motors is also a memory of a lifetime - and one that only costs $75 a seat.

Last year they were flying the bomber flights out of I believe the Appleton Airport, using a round-trip bus to shuttle passengers from the AirVenture grounds.

[FlyinAdamBadger]

Here is information about the B-17 Flight Experience. https://www.eaa.org/eaa/events-and-experiences/aluminum-overcast-eaa-b-17-bomber-tour/~/link.aspx?_id=D94C7FD97BD047F59AA454348157D460&_z=z

Special Instructions for EAA AirVenture mission flights/rides: All passengers must check-in at the B17 trailer located on the southeast corner of the Warbirds ramp (next to taxiway P-1) one hour prior to your flight time to board the shuttle to our operations area (at ATW).

All rides for the B-17 will be based at Appleton International Airport (ATW) in Greenville, Wisconsin.

Oh, and the B-17 flight path takes you over EAA AirVenture.

I would definitely go for a flight in this. It's a fun experience and I have done it!

[Bill Greenwood]

Certainly do it for both you and your Son. Its not cheap, about $450 but that's reasonable compared to anything higher performance or rarer. Its unfortunate that they dont let you fly them anymore. I really enjoyed flying the Collings B-17 in the pliots seat with takeoff from Ft. Collins Downtown and passes over the reservour west of town, with boaters and skiers loving the sight and sound.

Its a nuisance to have to ride a bus to Appleton to get a flight, but still fun.

[rwanttaja]

I cadged a ride in the EAA's B-17 a few years back. Here's the story I emailed to my friends:

http://www.wanttaja.com/b-17.pdf

The little inset diagrams show where I was standing when I took the picture (blue dot) and the general direction the camera was pointed (yellow fan).

Ron Wanttaja

[Kyle Boatright]

I rode on Aluminum Overcast 15+ years ago. I really enjoyed it. The view from the nose was outstanding, the others were great too, and the airplane wasn't nearly as noisy on the inside as I expected.

[GeorgeP]

G'day,

I'd highly recommend it. A mate and I were at Osh in 2013 on our first trip (returning next month for our third) and he bought a ticket for the B17. My funds would only cover the Trimotor flight. I think we both got good value for money. From what I recall, he said that most passengers were happy to exchange seats/locations during the flight in the B17.

If you have not already done so, I'd advise you to become an EAA member so that you pay member prices for both the flight and your entry to the show. We even got a "came all the way from Australia" discount for the B17 flight which deducted another $25 from the member price. :thumbsup:

Cheers,

George

[1308682]

Thanks for all the replies [emoji106]

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[whodja]

Hi there,

Heading over from Australia for 1st Airventure with 18 yo son. Looking for feedback reviews on those that have experienced B17 flight. Son is aviation crazy and I know a flight in a B17 would rock his world.





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[whodja]

Look up egg boy on YouTube. My son did it at 12


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[whodja]

Look up egg boy on YouTube. My son did it at 12


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https://youtu.be/xJ11G5CsSLc


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[whodja]

https://youtu.be/xJ11G5CsSLc


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He will be at EAA this year. He’s a Midn at the USNA.


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[CHICAGORANDY]

Incredible and emotional video - almost defines the awe and wonder of flight AND of youth.

[mcdewey]

What a great video! You must be very proud of him. I'm glad that a young man of his caliber is serving our country at the USNA.

[Mayhemxpc]

I have ridden on both the B-17 and the Tri-motor. Unbelievable and highly recommended. That said, the Flying Fortress has been my favorite plane since watching the 12 O'Clock High TV series as a small boy. Unlike the CAF ride, passengers are encouraged to get up and stroll around the plane when it is at cruise. This includes an opportunity to go into the nose, which you can't do on the ground. Looking through the Norden bombsight from the air was itself memorable. No comment on the price except to say considering the operating costs of the flying fort $450 is still expensive but reasonable. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Tri-motor flight. The airplane is VERY slow and very stable. Stately. Nowhere near as noisy as the history books say it was. Big windows. All in all a pleasant way to see the earth from above.

[izznsky]

Thank for all the info. I have a seat reserved on the B-17 this year and am looking forward to the experience. I decided to do it before they stop the rides as I missed out on the concorde rides years ago when they were grounded.

[CharlieN]

First rode on the 17 for my 60th birthday, absolutely worth the money Now years later My wife and I are hosting a tour stop in a few months.
This is a ride you do not just sit there, as soon as you are airborn you can move around inside the plane. Some say it is loud in there, yes but it sounds different every section of the plane you are in.

[robert l]

Hi there,

Heading over from Australia for 1st Airventure with 18 yo son. Looking for feedback reviews on those that have experienced B17 flight. Son is aviation crazy and I know a flight in a B17 would rock his world.
I took the flight back in 2007 in Elko, NV. in Sentimental Journey and I loved it. They only took 6 people at a time and everyone gets to be in 6 different areas during the flight. I started out in the nose bubble, where the bombardier sits when we took off, fantastic ! About every 10 minutes everyone would change to a different spot. It's expensive but hey, you only live once and I hope to do it again. I also did the Ford tri-motor last year at A/V.
Bob

[robert l]

I cadged a ride in the EAA's B-17 a few years back. Here's the story I emailed to my friends:

http://www.wanttaja.com/b-17.pdf

The little inset diagrams show where I was standing when I took the picture (blue dot) and the general direction the camera was pointed (yellow fan).

Ron Wanttaja

I guess Sentimental Journey was a little different from Aluminum Overcast. We didn't have seat belts or harnesses. All's well that ends well !
Bob

[CharlieN]

Here are a few links to when my wife and I rode on the 17. I borrowed a GoPro, strapped it on my head knowing little about the camera.Our
pilot for this trip is Lorraine Morris whom is the only female certified for the B-17.


https://youtu.be/u7Jt9BPC0bg


https://youtu.be/y3mbuYsm3tw


https://youtu.be/qSELIOmT7Ls

[Buzz]

Did it on one of the tours Aluminum Overcast does.

Loved it.

View from the nose with the shadow of the airplane on the cornfields below was like a time machine. I imagined all the young kids come back from missions who saw that same shadow and knew it meant they were close to landing and had survived another one.

I would have paid triple if we'd also bombed something. :D

It was as fun as a P-51 flight I took several years back.

My dad was a B-29 navigator on Tinian. So my next goal is a flight in Fifi or Doc.

[Sluggo]

I rode Aluminum Overcast on Tuesday, 23 July. Let me just say, it was WORTH every cent!! I was at the Norden bombsight in the nose when we passed over KOSH. Awesome.

Save up, scrape up, hell, check under the couch cushions, but find the $$$ to do it. Like the volunteers told us, the money raised from ticket sales is what keeps her flying, and not in a museum.

Oh...if you can, go for the first flight of the day. You'll get a little more time in the plane, as they warm up and run up the engines.

[moosepileit]

Bug spots look like flak;)

[Mayhemxpc]

What an awesome picture! I have had the opportunity to look through the Norden bomb sight from the air, too — but not with the view you got!!!

[mcdewey]

I can see our plane and tents in North 40. And the swamp that was between us and the bath house.

[CharlieN]

I rode Aluminum Overcast on Tuesday, 23 July. Let me just say, it was WORTH every cent!! I was at the Norden bombsight in the nose when we passed over KOSH. Awesome.


Interesting, on the 23rd, that morning I was on the ground shooting up at you.
7965

FWIW, the 3rd weekend of September my wife and I are hosting an EAA B-17 tour stop in Rutland Vermont. Anyone in the region, feel free to stop on by and get a feel of what this great machine is like. Flights will be in the mornings with ground tours throughout the afternoons.