The Flying Fortress

This last Monday (March 17th), Dan and I had the privilage of taking a flight on a WWII B-17 Bomber. Talk about perks of being in this business! Along with some other media folks, we had about a 15 or 20 minute flight around Bakersfield. As soon as the wheels lifted off the ground, we were free to walk about the plane, which took some more effort than you might think. It took a lot of ducking, balancing and holding onto the cold, metal sides of the plane to keep from falling over. It was amazing. My favorite part was climbing down a little hatch underneath the cockpit into the very front of the airplane. You could sit on a chair and watch the world fly by underneath you, an amazing vantage point. I really gained a new appreciation for those that served in WWII, as well as those who have been serving our country since. My words can't do it justice, so check out some of the pictures we took from that day.


Pretty awesome feeling holding a .50 calibur machine gun with a city below

A view from above

The catwalk above the bomb door, right behind the cockpit. Took some effort to navigate across this with the plane bobbing up and down.

The Flying Fortress prepares for take off

Dan and I giddy as little girls before the flight!

I'm really glad they waited untill we moved before starting the engine above our heads

The best seat in the house..er, war-plane... This was the nose of the B-17, and my favorite part with an amazing view.

I wanted to sit there the entire flight, but I think other media folks were getting annoyed that I was taking too long, including the TV guy who I asked to take my picture here.