Talking of B17s my Father went on a test flight in a B17 during WWll in 1943.
I thought some of you might find the following story of interest.
My father (who is still alive at 95 yrs) was a Radar operator in the Royal Navy on a special forces troop carrier that put all the US Marines and British special forces on Sword Beach Normandy on DDay
Whilst on leave... he visited the Thurleigh airfield at Bedford UK where the 306th Bomb Group heavy. (The Reich Wreckers) were stationed. B-17s stationed here included Sleepy Time Gal , Liberty belle, Miss America , Low and Slow and many other famous B-17s
The reason for his visit was to see his Sister who was about to get married to the bases US Chief flight Crew called McGeary .
As part of the celebrations McGeary arranged for my Father to go up in one of the brand new B17 bombers that had just been delivered to the base 2 days earlier, a fortress B-17-F 42-30811. Losses were so heavy that B17s were being delivered almost on a daily basis.
42-30811 was taken up on the 4th October for a test flight of 2 hours 10 minutes, up and down the east coast of Kent where they made various manoevers and test fired all the guns. That must have been some experience for my Father.
When they landed Mcgeary got the Pilot 1st LT Murphy to write up a signed copy test Flight Report noting all the crew which they gave to my Father along with a full B-17 flight suit comprising the sheepskin bomber jacket , trousers , boots, gloves, goggles the lot. If they had got found out they would all have been in big trouble.
Just 8 days later on the 14th October the plane and all her crew were lost on a second bombing run over Schweinfurt Germany. That night 77 B-17s were lost with 590 souls KIA and 65 POWs .
