B-17s at Low Level

Subject: B-17s at Low Level
From: Dale
Date: 3/12/04 10:18 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

In article ,
"Gord Beaman" ) wrote:


Dale, with some time on them I'm sure that you'd agree that when
limping home on two engines having your flaps or gear down would
very likely ruin your chances of ever getting home, right?.

At the weights I flew the airplane it performed fairly well on two
engines, even so why stack the deck against yourself by adding drag. G
On a hot day, or high field elevation having the gear/flaps out could
certainly make a difference in the outcome.

There was a bunch of discarded ammo and .50s from the continent to
England for a reason. G

--
Dale L. Falk

Radios too.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

ArtKramr wrote:
At the weights I flew the airplane it performed fairly well on two
engines, even so why stack the deck against yourself by adding drag. G
On a hot day, or high field elevation having the gear/flaps out could
certainly make a difference in the outcome.

There was a bunch of discarded ammo and .50s from the continent to
England for a reason. G

Radios too.


Don't forget about a ton's worth of beef.... don't want to dump them out if you
can help it.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN


http://www.mortimerschnerd.com

Stephen Harding writes:

Does a B-17 impress the chicks now days?

Old joke:

Pilot: See that {pointing to Herc on the ramp}?

Spacy Babe: Yes...

Pilot: That's a C130.... *I* fly a -150....



--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

"WalterM140" wrote in message
...
. As I vaguely remember it that
hydraulic
sytem in a B-17 worked off one engine.

That was the Lancaster, Art.

One of the virtues of the Fortress so far as battle damage went was that
it
relied so little on hydraulics for the flight controls.

Walt

Bomb Bay doors, landing gear and brakes were about all that was hydralically
operated on most US WWII bombers.

Dale wrote in message ...
In article ,
(ArtKramr) wrote:


Unless of course the hydraulic system has been shot out in which case both
flaps and landing gear would be down. As I vaguely remember it that
hydraulic
sytem in a B-17 worked off one engine.I don't remember which one. But I
might
be wrong about that, Check with a guy who flew B--17's to be sure. But you
could justify showing it with wheels and flaps down if an engine is shut
down.
You might add a trail of smoke for reality. How about a red flare or two
fired
from the B-17 to show wounded aboard?


The hydraulic system on the B-17 operated the cowl flaps and the
brakes...nothing else. The gear and flaps were electrically operated.
The hydraulic pump was electric, there is no engine driven pump on the
B-17 so having an engine out wouldn't affect the hydraulics.

Engine Oil pressure was used to set pitch on the propeller. Engine
oil loss could lead to a runaway propellor.




I've got a little over 300 hours in a B-17.

Subject: B-17s at Low Level
From: (The Enlightenment)
Date: 3/13/04 10:13 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

Dale wrote in message
...
In article ,
(ArtKramr) wrote:


Unless of course the hydraulic system has been shot out in which case
both
flaps and landing gear would be down. As I vaguely remember it that
hydraulic
sytem in a B-17 worked off one engine.I don't remember which one. But I

might
be wrong about that, Check with a guy who flew B--17's to be sure. But
you
could justify showing it with wheels and flaps down if an engine is shut
down.
You might add a trail of smoke for reality. How about a red flare or two
fired
from the B-17 to show wounded aboard?


The hydraulic system on the B-17 operated the cowl flaps and the
brakes...nothing else. The gear and flaps were electrically operated.
The hydraulic pump was electric, there is no engine driven pump on the
B-17 so having an engine out wouldn't affect the hydraulics.

Engine Oil pressure was used to set pitch on the propeller. Engine
oil loss could lead to a runaway propellor.




I've got a little over 300 hours in a B-17.

What group were you in?


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

Even though they did take a battering, They had machine guns and nice chunky
..50 cal's at that, all over the aircraft, even under neath, something the
lancasters didnt have, they only had, front, mud upper and tail guns with
303 peashooters (i dont mean to demean the RAF guys, all i'm doing is
comparing defences that's all so please do not take this to heart!!)
The U.S. bombers went out in day light and had close mutual support one a/c
from the other, where as the RAF went out singly at night and although part
of the main stream, each bomber was virtually on its own really.
It made sense to have less relying on hydraulics, because they could get
shot out, and to get home, the odds would be against them, add to this the
u/c down, and the flaps and stuff causing a hell of a lot of extra drag they
didnt need guzzling up the fuel they DID need to get home.
"Mark T. Evert" wrote in message
...

"WalterM140" wrote in message
...
. As I vaguely remember it that
hydraulic
sytem in a B-17 worked off one engine.

That was the Lancaster, Art.

One of the virtues of the Fortress so far as battle damage went was that
it
relied so little on hydraulics for the flight controls.

Walt

Bomb Bay doors, landing gear and brakes were about all that was
hydralically
operated on most US WWII bombers.

pretty much but it would depend on what altitude you were at and how far
away you were form home, i've read a few instances where they were just on
the other side of the channel and made it; maybe not to their own base, but
to somewhere like manston, or woodbridge or bellied in on a field.
"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
...
Dale wrote:

In article ,
(ArtKramr) wrote:


Unless of course the hydraulic system has been shot out in which case
both
flaps and landing gear would be down. As I vaguely remember it that
hydraulic
sytem in a B-17 worked off one engine.I don't remember which one. But
I
might
be wrong about that, Check with a guy who flew B--17's to be sure. But
you
could justify showing it with wheels and flaps down if an engine is
shut
down.
You might add a trail of smoke for reality. How about a red flare or
two
fired
from the B-17 to show wounded aboard?


The hydraulic system on the B-17 operated the cowl flaps and the
brakes...nothing else. The gear and flaps were electrically operated.
The hydraulic pump was electric, there is no engine driven pump on the
B-17 so having an engine out wouldn't affect the hydraulics.

I've got a little over 300 hours in a B-17.

Dale, with some time on them I'm sure that you'd agree that when
limping home on two engines having your flaps or gear down would
very likely ruin your chances of ever getting home, right?.
--

-Gord.

"and i hope you didnt bring any bombs back"!!
"ArtKramr" wrote in message
...
Subject: B-17s at Low Level
From: Dale
Date: 3/12/04 10:18 PM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

In article ,
"Gord Beaman" ) wrote:


Dale, with some time on them I'm sure that you'd agree that when
limping home on two engines having your flaps or gear down would
very likely ruin your chances of ever getting home, right?.

At the weights I flew the airplane it performed fairly well on two
engines, even so why stack the deck against yourself by adding drag. G
On a hot day, or high field elevation having the gear/flaps out could
certainly make a difference in the outcome.

There was a bunch of discarded ammo and .50s from the continent to
England for a reason. G

--
Dale L. Falk

Radios too.


Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer

I thought meat was rationed during wartime!??, lol!
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in message
.com...
ArtKramr wrote:
At the weights I flew the airplane it performed fairly well on two
engines, even so why stack the deck against yourself by adding drag.
G
On a hot day, or high field elevation having the gear/flaps out could
certainly make a difference in the outcome.

There was a bunch of discarded ammo and .50s from the continent to
England for a reason. G

Radios too.


Don't forget about a ton's worth of beef.... don't want to dump them out
if you
can help it.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN


http://www.mortimerschnerd.com