Boeing's Flying Fortress has to be one of the most famous aircraft of all time, so when the opportunity arose to fly as a B-17 co-pilot, I thought for no more than a millisecond before saying YES! I caught up with the Collings Foundation's B-17, B-24 Liberator and P-51C Mustang at Winter Haven in Florida, and the proud old warbirds looked magnificent in the warm winter sun. I was practically salivating at the prospect of getting behind the controls. Before even being allowed to sit in the B-17 I had to complete an exhaustive ground school course, under the guidance of chief pilot Jim Harley - just as he gave me when I flew the foundation's B-24 (see FlyPast October 2013). After a lengthy training session on the Fort's systems, speeds and idiosyncrasies, Jim and I go out to the brooding B-17 bomber that carries the name Nine-O-Nine. As we walk slowly around the aircraft, Jim points out some of its notable features while I can't help but compare it with its USAAF contemporary, the B-24, parked nearby. For example, four big, round engines hang from the wings, fitted with the same three-blade Hamilton-Standard Hydromatic props. However, I soon realise that, unlike the Liberator, there's considerably more oil on the wings, cowlings and ground. Jim nods ruefully: "Yup, those Wright Cyclones sure throw out a lot more oil than a Twin Wasp."
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