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The B-17 - A Historical Perspective
by Joe "Impaler" HighmanI have been waiting with baited breath for the release of the sequel title; B-17 Flying Fortress II, The Mighty Eighth. Judging by the strong membership levels of websites such as Combatsim.com, much of the world seems to be anxiously waiting right alongside me!I have long respected the men who made the arduous trips into combat of the air war of World War II. I feel the same appreciation for the aircraft that carried them into battle during the era of the supremacy of the piston engine powered combat airplane. There is an undeniable romance to the time period that has transcended time and space for generations that I am not immune to.
On an overcast June morning, I embarked on a journey that is becoming all too rare. I had the wonderful fortune to take a one-hour flight in one of the world’s twelve remaining airworthy B17 Flying Fortresses.
The “Yankee Lady” is a B-17G operated by the Yankee Air Force from its Yankee Air Museum Headquarters in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The ship has been restored to its original wartime configuration and has been painted in the colors of the 381st Bombardment Groups 534th Bombardment Squadron.For a donation that will feel cosmically inconsequential when one’s feet return to solid ground, anyone may become part of her ten-member flight crew. My first hand experience began here, and this was the first moment that something extraordinary dawned on me…
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