OT again, but cool pics nonetheless...Chris can help here, I bet.

[peabody]

http://home.comcast.net/~szee1a/Al_overcast/Al_overcast.html

[Doug Moon]

Did you see the plane was originally sold for $750.00!!!

[peabody]

Hi Doug...
Yup....a bunch were sold for around that price!
I saw this one several years ago in Upstate NY....Geneseo....they had seven B-17's I believe....on a grass strip!
I believe that Chris McMillan can give us more info...

[Ed Neuzil]

Last year a B-17, Nine-O-Nine, belonging to the Collings Foundation, was at the local
airport (Palwaukee), I took a tour of it after attending a Civil War re-enactment a mile
down the road from the airport.

[Ed Neuzil]

More

[Ed Neuzil]

The rest

[Ed Neuzil]

Lastly, a side-by-side of the 50 cal. ammo used in the B-17 machine
guns with a 58 cal. Minie ball & paper cartridge for an 1863 Civil War
Springfield rifle.

[Ed Neuzil]

There was also a B-24 there.

[Ed Neuzil]

The rest

[Douglas Ames]

Did you see the plane was originally sold for $750.00!!!

My 80 yr. old father said that after the war everyone wanted to forget about it and get on with their lives. These planes were obsolete in `46 even though they were only a few years old.
6 years of war in Asia and Europe put alot of stress on our economy and everyone.
He grew up in Upstate NY and said they burned "piles" of brand new flight suits, boots and jackets after the war near his villiage.

[Ed Neuzil]

And a rare 2-seat P-51B

[peabody]

The three Collins' planes came to Venice this year...
I volunteered as a parking attendant....
At 11:00 a.m., an older woman came in with a old critter in the passenger seat....she allowed as how he had booked AN HOUR flight in the P-51!
The flight was at 1:00.....he was like a kid in Christmas....said that he "flew one in the last war" (my dad always called it "the last war" too)....
Around 3:00 p.m. they returned....huge smile on his face! Made me feel good!

[Doug Moon]

What is that vertical yellow canister?  Oxygen for high altitude?

[skyshark58]

Yes. The old "low pressure" oxygen bottles were yellow. "High pressure" bottles in modern aircraft are green.

[EddyR]

The radio operator controlled a lot of radios in the B17. Most pictures show one general coverage radio that was used for reception but there were ten other radios on board in the radio room. From the mid 1970's till 1992 I overhauled many of the Radios that are seen in the B17's that are still flying. Most of the radios were in pretty good condition and the rebuild involved replacing the old dried out capacitors. I did not repaint the covers as most were in good shape also.  Getting the transmitters to work was interesting and I had to contact the FCC if I was to do a on the air test. I used a dummy load antenna to test power output and no signal went beyond 50 ft. Not many transmitters were rebuilt as there is no use for them. I set some up so the tubes lit but they was no B+ voltage so they would not transmit. They look like they were working. My Business FCR corp had a side business BoatAnchor Repair. Old WW2 radio's are called boat anchors by the fans who restore and use them for DX listening.
Ed

[Doug Moon]

Those planes are fascinating.  I always thought it would be so cool to work on a team to restore one.  I have done a few cars, but to get to do an old plane would be so cool!

[FLOYD CARTER]

The bombers typically used several ARC-5 command radio transmitters and receivers. These were pre-tuned before takeoff, and that's why there are several of them: one for each frequency used for the flight.  For long distance, the radio op.,when one was aboard,  had either BC342 or BC348 receivers, and I don't remember which transmitter, but higher power than the ARC-5 sets.  The radio op. could transmit either on AM (voice) or CW (Morse code)

ARC-5 command sets were plentiful in the '50s and 60s, and sold for about $5, new or almost new.  We converted them to work on the Amateur Radio bands.  They were normally powered by a dynamotor (motor/generator) but we built power supplies running from 120 Vac.

Floyd