Thunderbolts receive honorary B-17 flight

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class David Owsianka
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Eight Thunderbolts received the chance of a lifetime as passengers on a flight in a B-17 bomber March 18. The flight originated from Falcon Field in Mesa and landed at Luke Air Force Base as a part of Air Force heritage during the Luke Days 2011 Open House and Air Show.

Each person chosen for the flight has a relative who was involved with the B-17 in one way or another, ranging from being a pilot to a tail gunner.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress was a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft and it entered active service July 28, 1935, for the then United States Army Air Corps. There was a total of 12,371 built, with the last one built July 28, 1945. Today, there are 53 surviving B-17 airframes worldwide with only 12 remaining active for flight.

Barry Lewis's father was a B-17 flight engineer and bombardier who flew 33 missions over Europe.

"It was an emotional ride for me because of my father's connection to the aircraft," said Mr. Lewis, 56th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron chief of quality assurance personnel office. "I gained a better understanding of what it may have been like when he was flying."

The day's flight was aboard an F model, the fifth design of the B-17. In this version of the bomber, the defensive armament was increased to 11 .50-caliber machine guns including increased frontal protection in the form of check guns. The motors on this model were four turbo-charged single-row nine-cylinder air cooled radial engines to carry an extra load of 8,000 pounds which slowed the aircraft by almost 70 miles per hour.

According to Jim Kimmel, the pilot for Friday's flight, the aircraft in which Luke members rode never saw combat during World War II. Instead, a camera was put on the bottom of the aircraft and it was deployed to the Philippines to map out the islands for nuclear testing in the Pacific.

It was primarily employed by the United States Army Air Corps in the daylight precision strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial and military targets.

The B-17 had a crew of 10 people. There were four officers, two on the flight deck and two in the nose along with six enlisted members trained as gunners.

Three of those on the flight have family members who were B-17 gunners in World War II.

"It was a dream come true," said Master Sgt. Kevin Bertetto, 56th Civil Engineer Squadron executive officer, about receiving the B-17 flight. "Being able to hear the engines, handle the guns, move about inside during the flight and man various positions in the aircraft gave me a sense of what my grandfather and his fellow crewmembers did during flight."

Senior Airman Lauren Benge's grandfather was a captain in the Army Air Corps assigned to the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook, England. He flew the B-17 on multiple missions throughout Germany and France.

"My favorite part of the flight was the approach to Luke in the bombardier chair in the nose of the plane," said Airman Benge, 56th Operations Support Squadron air traffic controller. "The pilot took me into the cockpit afterward for a one-on-one explanation of everything my grandfather would have done when he flew the plane.

"It brought back a lot of good memories of the time I spent with my grandfather," Airman Benge said. "He took me to air shows growing up and would show me the B-17s. This flight is something I will remember for the rest of my life"