Heavy Bomber Weekend Lands In Madison

by Greg Reigel

The week of  July 26, 2013, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast flew into Madison, Wisconsin (KMSN) to give the general public the opportunity to see – and for some, experience – an aircraft that contributed greatly to the defeat of the Nazi regime during World War II.

Aluminum Overcast arrived from the north, flying a low approach to Runway 18 with a left turn at mid-field to enter left-traffic and land. Although the sky was hazy, the bomber’s low-pass and landing, accompanied by the throaty sound of its four radial engines, brought the message of a long past era that, for some, rekindled memories as vivid as if they were yesterday.

The B-17’s appearance was part of “Heavy Bomber Weekend,” a joint event presented by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) that ran from Friday, July 26, 2013 through Sunday, July 28, 2013, the weekend before EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Accompanying the B-17 was the world’s only airworthy B-29 Superfortress, “FIFI,” along with a P-51 Mustang and the B-24 “Diamond Lil.” Other World War II aircraft, such as a C-45 Expeditor, SNJ-5, PT-26, PT-17 Stearman and T-6 Texan, were also scheduled to make appearances during the weekend.

I had the opportunity to go for a ride in Aluminum Overcast with several World War II veterans who had actually served on B-17s during the war.

Aluminum Overcast was manufactured and delivered to the military in 1945, too late to see combat. Almost 40 years later, in 1983, the aircraft was donated to EAA with the caveat that it would be returned to airworthy condition and flown, rather than simply placed in a museum for display. After extensive restoration, the aircraft began touring the country in 1994, giving the general public an opportunity to take a flight back into history…to experience what it was like for the pilots and crew flying into combat.

“Flying on the B-17 gave me an appreciation for the training my uncle had gone through, and what pilots experienced in combat in the unfriendly skies over Nazi-occupied Europe,” said Jim O’Brien, a local businessman who joined me on the same flight. “We owe a debt of gratitude to these veterans.”

The B-17 was the primary aircraft used by the United States in Europe during the bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. Crewmembers flew thousands of missions over Germany and paid a high price. Flying at a meager 150 mph, but as high as 20,000 feet, the large aircraft was a popular enemy target for anti-artillery.

After receiving a pre-flight briefing from our crew chief, we boarded the polished aluminum aircraft on the east ramp of Wisconsin Aviation at Dane County Regional Airport.

The aircraft’s interior has been meticulously restored to the condition it was in when the aircraft entered service. However, a brief visit to the cockpit revealed, fortunately for the crew, certain modern amenities, such as GPS nav/coms that have eased the load and provided a measure of safety the wartime crews sorely lacked.

As we took our seats in various locations within the aircraft, I found myself at the radio operator’s station just aft of the forward bomb bay. The crew then started the engines and a short taxi brought us to Runway 18. When the B-17’s flight crew brought the throttles forward to takeoff power, I could feel the vibration and power of the radial engines, and although it was loud, it wasn’t as loud as I had expected. Lumbering down the runway, the airspeed increased and, as the tail lifted off the runway, our flight crew maintained runway heading without deviation.

When we left the runway, the gear came up and a shallow bank to the right gave us a southwest departure with a course directly over downtown Madison. As we flew past the state capitol and University of Wisconsin Camp Randall Stadium, we could walk throughout the aircraft, visiting the flight deck, the bomb bays and the forward gunner’s position. Although it was a warm day and I appreciated the breeze that circulated through the aircraft, I can only imagine how the crews suffered through the inhospitable cold at altitude during the war. Their insulated leather flight suits were a necessity.

After an all-too-short flight that lasted about 30 minutes, we returned to the airport, landing on Runway 18, then taxied back to the Wisconsin Aviation ramp.

The opportunity to ride in a B-17 so gallant and pristine as EAA’s Aluminum Overcast was truly memorable. If you ever get the chance, I strongly encourage you to likewise take a flight into the past!

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