And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Wednesday, August 19, 2020
B-24 Liberator drops a smoke marker along with it’s bomb load over Muhldorf Germany. April 20, 1945.
Historians say the B24 and its manual unboosted controls took so much strength to operate that the pilot, after a long mission had to carried out of the plane because he could no longer lift his arms...Those were real men. Daniel Loomis
My dad was a power turret instructor for two years,1942-1944, then went to Italy with the 15th Air Force.He flew every power turret position on the B-24. He told me all the crew members had to try to fly the aircraft, to see if they could hold it straight and level if the pilots were wounded.He said it was a huge struggle.
The Hollywood actor Jimmy Stewart was a command pilot in B-24's. Flew 20+ missions over the ETO. Didn't fly as many as he might have, since he was the guy in charge of that group. That kept him pretty busy. Tall, skinny fellow, not the muscle bound person you would think they would stick in that model bomber. Retired as a Brig General about 1970. Flew at least one mission over North Vietnam in a B-52. Shame he couldn't have bombed Hanoi Jane while doing it.
In the distant past I flew a Curtiss C-46. One of the Captains wanted to get his wife a job flying there, but the chief pilot said she wasn't strong enough. Naturally, she disagreed, so they put her in the right seat of an aircraft sitting in the hangar, and told her to pull the control yolk back to her chest with her right arm. She couldn't do it.
Not to disparage women pilots in general. We did have a young lady flying there, and a check airman I very much respected said she was one one of best pilots he had ever trained. She went on to be chief pilot at a big operation, I believe UPS.
Historians say the B24 and its manual unboosted controls took so much strength to operate that the pilot, after a long mission had to carried out of the plane because he could no longer lift his arms...Those were real men. Daniel Loomis
ReplyDeleteMy dad was a power turret instructor for two years,1942-1944, then went to Italy with the 15th Air Force.He flew every power turret position on the B-24. He told me all the crew members had to try to fly the aircraft, to see if they could hold it straight and level if the pilots were wounded.He said it was a huge struggle.
DeleteThe Hollywood actor Jimmy Stewart was a command pilot in B-24's. Flew 20+ missions over the ETO. Didn't fly as many as he might have, since he was the guy in charge of that group. That kept him pretty busy. Tall, skinny fellow, not the muscle bound person you would think they would stick in that model bomber. Retired as a Brig General about 1970. Flew at least one mission over North Vietnam in a B-52. Shame he couldn't have bombed Hanoi Jane while doing it.
DeleteIn the distant past I flew a Curtiss C-46. One of the Captains wanted to get his wife a job flying there, but the chief pilot said she wasn't strong enough. Naturally, she disagreed, so they put her in the right seat of an aircraft sitting in the hangar, and told her to pull the control yolk back to her chest with her right arm. She couldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteNot to disparage women pilots in general. We did have a young lady flying there, and a check airman I very much respected said she was one one of best pilots he had ever trained. She went on to be chief pilot at a big operation, I believe UPS.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't know why it took me so long to find this website, but I love, love it! Especially, the classic aircraft.
ReplyDeleteYou found a treasure. Cherish it.
DeleteRedundant apostrophe.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I was 2 days old when that pic was taken. Still going, still working out; still correcting people's grammar and spelling....
hopefully adolph appreciated the birthday greetings ...............
ReplyDelete