PRB's Fortress Pacifica

[PRB]

Thanks Willy! I'm still learning too. Besides FRAPS (the pay version), you need some kind of video editing software that lets you 1) trim the unwanted ends from the raw FRAPS clips, combine more than one into one movie, and 2) save the whole thing out in some kind of format that isn't as huge as a FRAPS movie file, but still retains some amount of video quality. There may be free software out there that does all that, but I haven't found it. I use AVS Video Editor. I could even turn down the FS sound and replace it with some Celine Dion tracks. If I wanted to...

Heading on up to Rabaul. Found my co-pilot, in a bar. I think he's feeling a bit better now. The wind has died down a little. Takeoff shouldn't be too much of an adventure.

[Willy]

Thanks Paul... I'm thinking some of my misadventures at landing could be made into a comedy clip of some kind lol

[PRB]

Made it to Rabaul with a minimum of fuss. 15 knot quartering head/cross wind on landing. Piece of cake, compared to the last one... Decided to zig towards the coast on this leg, to avoid the big tall mountains hiding in those clouds...

[PRB]

North, over New Ireland, to MKO.

[PRB]

Down safe at MKO. Here's something I like about FSRealWX. In real life over the oceans out there, clouds form over islands. With FS's built in "real wx", I never noticed any of that kind of distinction. If real wx said it was cloudy, then it was cloudy, everywhere. But on several flights now while using FSRealWX, I've notice clouds building over the island mountains. That's pretty cool.

[PRB]

MISSION OVER BUKA.

While stopped at MKO, we found some OD and yellow paint. We've changed the serial number on the tail of our B-17F to "12666", which was the number painted on the tail of a 65th BS B-17E that flew the famous photographic mission over the northern Solomon Islands on June 16, 1943. For this mission, pilot Jay Zeamer and bombardier Joe Sarnoski both received the Congressional Medal of Honor, Sarnoski posthumously. It is apparently the only time in WW-II that two members of the same crew, for the same mission, were so honored. They volunteered for the solo recon mission, and had to fight numerous attacks from Zeros and at least one Ki-46.

Off we go, headed for Buka, MKO-AYBK.

[PRB]

Made it to Buka. Flew over at 20000 feet just to see what it looks like from that high...

[PRB]

The first I'd ever heard of the story of Jay Zeamer and his courageous crew was from a book by Martin Caidin called "Flying Forts." The first chapter in this book is called "Mission Over Buka." Martin Caidin was a great story teller, and I read all his books when I was a wee lad. Years later I read someplace that Mr. Caidin was also a believer in all things occult. You know, ghosts, Ouija boards, UFOs, that sort of thing. For some reason this revelation disappointed me, but it did explain a story in his P-38 book about a Lightning pilot who flew his damaged plane to his home base in North Africa hours after being killed over the Mediterranean Sea, and with no fuel in the tanks. But that's another story.

So it is fitting that I relate this story about our most recent leg into Buka. As we were approaching the field at 20,000 feet, in order to get some idea what Zeamer and crew saw that day, my co-pilot, still a bit touchy after my less than stellar cross wind landing at Jacquinot Bay, turned suddenly in his seat and called out "whoa, traffic, three oclock!" I looked, but didn't see anything, and commented to that effect. He said "I don't see him now." "What kind of plane?" I asked. "I didn't get a good look at him", he said. We both looked around, peering out all the available windows on the Fortress flight deck, but it seemed we were alone in the big blue sky over the Buka Passage. I asked him if he was sure he saw a plane. "I thought I did..." he replied weakly.

We continued the flight, never seeing another airplane in the area. After passing over the field, we chopped power and descended in a wide left hand circle, landing on runway 22. The airport was deserted as we began refueling the Fortress. Neither one of us commented on the co-pilot's mysterious aircraft sighting. He seemed a bit embarrassed about the whole thing. With fueling completed, we entered the little FBO shack to inquire about paying for the gas, and about where we could get a good hot dog in these parts. The guy behind the desk handed us an envelope, saying it had arrived from Western Union just before we landed. We looked at each other and I opened the envelope. Inside was a single photograph:

[Willy]

Ol' 666! That's one I was hoping someone would do!!

[PRB]

On to AGGE from Buka.

[PRB]

Made it to AGGE. That collection of islands out there, dominated by Shortland, looks like a great natural harbor.

[PRB]

Going down The Slot to AGGM.

[PRB]

AGGM in the books. On to AGGV.

[PRB]

Down safe at AGGV.

[PRB]

Headed down the coast to AGGF. Short hop.

[PRB]

Made it to AGGF. Gonna bust out the camping gear...

[Ian Warren]

I did see something about mission somewhere, I don't recall now, it was a documentary, I do have a book mentioning this was were the Japanese got to learn a real respect for the Fort in the Pacific and literary if possible stayed away from it , I'll have to dig that article up, it did not mention 12666 but I wonder if that was were they got the information and used from that related mission.

[PRB]

Hi Ian,

This mission was covered in one of the "Dogfights" episodes on the History Channel a couple years ago. Apparently this B-17 was modified with extra guns, similar to the YB-40 "gunship" concept, but the extra guns did about as much good in the Pacific as they did in Europe. The You Tube clip below looks like they used the same computer generated video as the "Dogfights" show, but is narrated by a different person. Interesting anyway.

[PRB]

Making my way to AGGA.

[PRB]

AGGA complete. On to AGGT.

[PRB]

AGGT. Done.

[MM]

Excellent photographs and bits of B-17 lore to accompany the legs. Thanks.

[Willy]

Excellant Run there P, BZ!!

[robert41]

Congrats on bringing the Fort back.

[PRB]

Thanks all. The Fortress run was fun.