PRB
July 16th, 2009, 17:53
So I’m reading a book called Ferry Command, by a Don McVicar (thanks, srgalahad, for the recommendation!) McVicar was a Canadian civilian pilot in WW-II, attached to RAF Ferry Command. As such he got to fly a lot of different planes, and his exploits (in the air and in the bar…) make for very interesting reading. So here he is about to take an RAF B-17 someplace, and invites his new friend, a New Zealand pilot who has just checked him out in the B-26 Marauder (another good story that…) to fly with him as co-pilot. Anyway, they just started the B-17 and…
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“…We did the run-up and I signaled the chocks away and nodded to my new co-pilot. He gingerly opened the throttles and we began to move. We had to make a sharp turn almost immediately to avoid aircraft parked ahead of us. As Robinson cut back three engines and poured coal to No. 1 he had to use a little brake to help the turn. I was amused to see the startled expression on his face as the famous Fort hydraulic system gave out its usual high-pitched moan…”
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Now that I’ve flown in a B-17 I knew exactly what that “moan” sounds like, and I had the same startled expression when I first heard it. How cool is that??
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“…We did the run-up and I signaled the chocks away and nodded to my new co-pilot. He gingerly opened the throttles and we began to move. We had to make a sharp turn almost immediately to avoid aircraft parked ahead of us. As Robinson cut back three engines and poured coal to No. 1 he had to use a little brake to help the turn. I was amused to see the startled expression on his face as the famous Fort hydraulic system gave out its usual high-pitched moan…”
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Now that I’ve flown in a B-17 I knew exactly what that “moan” sounds like, and I had the same startled expression when I first heard it. How cool is that??