B-17 Thunderbird.

Jul 15, 2022 9:55 PM

iceage2012

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140309

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1921

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22

Love those planes. It’s awesome to see them flying this long after their job was done. If you get a chance check one out up close

4 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

One of those sights that holding your camera horizontally was invented for.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

I got to take a ride on the B-17 "Yankee Lady" out of Willow Run, MI. Quite the experience.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Been in this bird: https://www.eaa.org/shop/flights/b17.aspx

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Lucky to fly on the “909” two years ago; last year she crashed, killing all aboard.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

That's one purdy bird.

4 years ago | Likes 60 Dislikes 2

Mattel Electronics presents: B-17 bOOombEr!!

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thunderbirds are go!

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

This post is gonna catch a lot of flak

4 years ago | Likes 32 Dislikes 0

Flak Bait HOO HAH HAH!!!

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That quality of both the video and the plane is fantastic

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Does this one have cartoon wheels also?

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Fuckyeah! Sad I have but one upvote to give

4 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Plane pretty.

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Probably the most beautiful plane ever built.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

4 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I was really hoping to see this reference in here. The art director for this segment was also Augie "Ben" Doggie in Hardware Wars.

4 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I..am the sum of all Ee-vil.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

That segment fucking scarred me so much that I got the willies just looking at the plane. It was awesome!

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The view from the front is....killer.

4 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

The original Millennium Falcon

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Sally B, last B-17 still flying in Europe...

4 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 0

Just looking at this and a large prop plane flew over.

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Engine rotation matching the shutter-speed/framerate?

4 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Yeah, if you look closely you can see them bending because of rolling shutter effect.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Isn't the Pink Lady still airworthy, just currently parked?

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I believe so, yes.

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

This reminds me of the story of Ye Olde Pub, Charlie Brown, and Franz Stigler.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Memphis Bell one of my favorite movies.

4 years ago | Likes 30 Dislikes 0

I think of “Heavy Metal”.

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

That movie was phenomenal

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That is sexy as fuck. Mark it mature dood! +1

4 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 1

Good job filming an airplane vertically. I didn't need to see all of it, I'd much rather watch the sky

4 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 4

Almost certainly not recorded on a cellphone, just cropped to fit one because that's what most people use in 2022.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

That's even worse.

4 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

The amazing thing about B-17’s is how much damage they could take, and still return from missions. Also, so beautiful!

4 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

They were like a flying fortress or something

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I believe this owes much to the fact that it was designed so early but made with "modern" materials of the time, it was an old model when ->

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

The war started. Kinda like putting a 90's corolla to a endurance race against a Tesla - it aint fast or flashy, but it gets the job done.

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

look at those dam engines...look at them

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Heard one of these things make a low pass over my house one time since I live near an Airfield that does air shows, I almost s*** my pants.

4 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

I live down the street from the field Thunderbird lived at until recently. Used to see her flying around every so often, and some low passes

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I don’t think people realize how loud those planes are until they are next to one. Now imagine hundreds flying overhead every day.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Fury had a great shot of that... straight up nightmare fuel tbh.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

My grandfather was a tail gunner on one of these.

4 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 1

My dad was a B-17 pilot. They were shot down in June 1943 after a shell tore through the plane and took out the turbocharger.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

He spent the rest of the war in Stalag 1. After the war ended, he got 9 months of back pay and spent a lot of it in Paris. Miss him.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

My Dad was a B-17 bombardier and was shot down on his 21st mission and was the only survivor. Spent 2 yrs in a German POW camp.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

My grandfather was shot down twice, escaped both times

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Lucky him. Real heroes.

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

...as was my uncle. Was a good storyteller with good stories from then.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

My Dad would barely talk about it. Had some PTSD I'm sure from torture in the prison camp.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

My grandfather repaired their RADARs and cleaned up the guys who didn't make it back in once piece. I'm glad my grandfather never met yours

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 143 Dislikes 2

Fuck. Now I'm sad

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Don’t think I’ve seen this upvote gif before. Very nice. And depressing.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

"Gracias" -Mr. Bean after being praised on his excellent French Language skills.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That episode hit so hard

4 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 0

v

4 years ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

v

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Best two episodes were Bastogne and Breaking Point. Now I’m gonna go rewatch them all!

4 years ago | Likes 43 Dislikes 0

I weep like a child every time he comes back and finder her headwarp....

4 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

Then uses it like a boss to patch people up

4 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Breaking Point was amazing! "Lt Speirs not only made it to the other squad, he came back." *Confused Germans watching it happen*

4 years ago | Likes 10 Dislikes 0

Speirs was a beast in that series.

4 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

My wounded grandfather stole a jeep and drove through the night with two other wounded soldiers to rejoin 4th A.D. in Bastogne on Dec. 26.

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

So I really didn't care Joe Toye's comments about Patton's 3rd army, my granfather laughed it off when we watched Band of Brothers together.

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

What show, please?

4 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 1

Band of Brothers. Originally aired on HBO, presume it's on Max but can't confirm.

4 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

It is on max, as is The Pacific.

4 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

?

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Appears to be some sort of zone of danger

4 years ago | Likes 50 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 1

Is there some kind of road that leads to this zone?

4 years ago | Likes 13 Dislikes 0

A ... high capacity road!

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

HIGHWAY TOO THE DANGER ZONE... damn now it's stuck in my head..

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Thunderbird was a high mission tally Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress of the 303rd Bombardment Group during World War II.

4 years ago | Likes 311 Dislikes 0

according to its stamina bar on the side, it has a ways to go

4 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Thank you for clarifying because I was pretty sure their nickname was Flying Fortress

4 years ago | Likes 109 Dislikes 0

Ya I had not heard thunderbird before, was very confused.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

and, to those who flew them, like my father, the BAB, or Big-Assed Bird. The tail of the B-17 is enormous.

4 years ago | Likes 28 Dislikes 0

Your tail would be too if you had a full turret machine gun there plus had to support thousands of pounds of ordinance

4 years ago | Likes 18 Dislikes 0

Significantly lowers your Vmc, especially if you have two engines shot out on the critical side.

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I had a model set of the Flying Fortress. Traded it for an Intellivision...always regretted that.

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Did it come with BurgerTime?

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Thunderbirds still exist, B-1B squadron at Ellsworth in SD.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Ok lived there when I was 3rd grade. Always remember all the cool planes flying over

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It was, but the original was scrapped, I guess this is Lone Star's replica?

4 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

I thought Lonestar preferred a Winnebago

4 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

4 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

I believe all currently flying B-17s never saw combat duty. But yeah, they tend to repaint them.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yeah, the pink lady did fly a few missions but it's not currently flying

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Build a couple B-17 models way back as a kid. Amazing aircraft. So many guns

4 years ago | Likes 98 Dislikes 1

Catch-22 is a good Hulu mini series about a b-17 bombardier

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Just finished this, you are correct.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Wasn't it a B-25?

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

My bad if I messed up the plane. It's been a couple years. Still a good watch though!

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

There’s a story of a B-17 called Old 666 which had EVERY gun upgraded to .50 cal and sent off on a suicide mission. It fought off 50 Zeros

4 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

Sounds like a predecessor of the AC-130

4 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

It's predecessor was the AC-47 Spooky (or "Puff, the Magic Dragon"). Though this B-17 beast sounds like a hoot

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

It went fr 10 guns to 19, doubled every single gun & gave the pilot a fixed 50 cal in the cockpit too. All 30 cal went to 50. It was a beast

4 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

.50 probably had better range with a flatter trajectory so could lay on the hurt and actually hit the target.

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

And still the loss rate was horrendous.

4 years ago | Likes 24 Dislikes 0

There was no long range escort fighter available to fly with them over Germany, but they might face 100+ German interceptors…

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

IIRC weren't we just sending swarms of them during broad daylight while the Brits sent.. Lancasters? during the night?

4 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

pretty much

4 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yup. British night raids were less accurate but safer. Our daylight raids were more accurate but dangerous.

4 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

The Brits carried more bombs and less armour/guns. The Lancaster was considered to carry the first Abomb because it didn't fit in the b29

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Oh the British night raids were terrible, especially early in the war. The guidance was atrocious, especially compared to the Germans, 1/2

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

but they were clever with the countermeasures. 2/2

4 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Well, it is kinda extremely hard to hit a moving target from a moving vehicle.

4 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 0

Germans didn't have as much of an issue

4 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 2

Relativity is a bitch

4 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0