Many Happy Returns

By ANN Warbird Correspondent Tom Griffith

We continued our flight down to the east end of Galveston Island, and I remembered how many times I was "down there" on the island, looking up when any of the Museum's planes flew over. I know that there had to be folks down there as we flew over who were telling themselves, "Boy, I'd like to be in that beauty!"

See Part Three

We overflew the entrance to the ship channel at the far-east end of the island, turned north and then west to fly back over the Galveston harbor and back towards the airport.

I hoped and prayed that we would NOT be landing so soon. Prayer works! We overflew the airport and crossed back over to the surf side of Galveston Island and flew to the west end of the island. It was during this leg of the trip that I was up front and had a better view than when I was in the back.  We turned to the north, then back to the east to head back to Scholes. I looked down as we banked in our turn over San Luis Pass. As a kid, I had been down there countless times with my family - it was one of Dad's favorite fishing spots for most of his life.

We made our way back to Scholes once a mostly easterly heading was established, and I was once again back in the waist area of the Fort. Dudley had his headset plugged into the intercom back in the waist area and he got the message for us to get back into our seats to get ready to land. The pilots did their radio calls and checklists to get us ready to land on the same runway from which we'd departed about 35 or 40 minutes earlier - Runway 13.

Since we made a left pattern and I had a seat just over the left wing, I could see the VERY black runway on green grass and just about the time we were turning base to final I heard the pilots discussing something. They were concerned about a private plane that had landed in front of us, and that it was still on the runway and had not turned off. Our pilots did not want to take a chance in case the little Piper Cherokee didn't clear the runway, so they executed a go-around.

In doing so, I got to fly a few minutes longer and got to hear the pilots give a little, shall we say, "message" to the offending pilot, questioning the composition of his brains or the marital status of his parents (or something like that!) and announce that they would be going around. One more pattern around the field and we made a perfect landing and rolled down most of the length of the runway before turning off - it saves brakes, I'd bet.

My good friend and ex-USAAF wrench-turner, Tom Drennan, has told me that a B-17 is a bird that does not want to land - it floats and floats down the runway, before finally giving up to the laws of aerodynamics and physics and all that. I found this to be 100% on the money! The pilots completed another checklist and had a discussion about the inverter as we taxied off of the active runway.

Shutting down required yet another checklist and soon, the big Fortress was still and quiet. The sound of four Cyclones and four props was gone and the steady vibration that had been felt throughout the aircraft had stopped, but "T-Bird" still smelled wonderful! "Thunder Bird" never fails to please me!

I was the first one out of the back of the airplane, and Louise was waiting for her man. I was all smiles and thumbs up. Yet another successful bombing mission! Now all that I need to do, aviation-related, is to get a ride in a WWII fighter and you can call the undertaker!

I had the pilots pose with me for a couple of photos, sign my logbook and it was then that I got the "bad" news. Both said that had they known that I was a pilot, Tim would've surrendered the right seat to me for a few minutes so that I could pretend to be a B-17 pilot! ARRRRRRRGH!!! It was the same sound that Cosmo Kramer made on the episode of "Seinfeld" when he passed a kidney stone. …maybe next time!

Only a couple of minutes after posing for photos, both pilots were checking out the Number Two engine (the one outside "my" window on the flight). The nacelle and underside of the wing were absolutely COVERED with oil.

It seems that something had "let go" and Tom Owens and helpers would have to chase it down and get it fixed so that they could fly again. I noticed smoke exiting Number Two behind the cowling flaps through take-off and most of the flight (and Louise noticed it as we took off), so maybe this was the reason.

Radials do tend to blow a little blue smoke upon starting, but this usually clears away after a few seconds after the engines start. Regardless, both pilots said that each engine has 35 gallons of oil in its tank and at least we never were in danger of losing the engine. What with the short nature of the flight (and apparently not losing oil pressure as we flew) we apparently had plenty of oil still in the tank.

The pilots and crew take everything in stride - it takes patience when you're dealing with an aircraft and engines that were designed in the 1930s and built in the 1940s - Tim Hahn added a little comic relief, noting that the tire underneath the leaky Cyclone was all "nice and shiny" - it was!

They must have gotten it fixed in short order, because "T-Bird" flew in the airshow the next day. As we stood on the ramp at Scholes during the airshow, and I watched the Fort taxiing, taking off, flying by, and landing, it was hard to believe that only the day before, *I*, the once-little boy who'd wanted to fly in a B-17 forEVER, had been treated to a ride on this very aircraft! This ride is one thing that I'll never forget.

Once again, I want to thank Ralph Royce and the whole crew at Lone Star Flight Museum for their service and their great collection of aircraft. When their warbirds tour the country during the upcoming airshow season, please go see them - not only the aircraft, but also the fine people who fly and maintain them.

The support staff persons at LSFM usually attend airshows with the planes and crew - look them up and buy a cap, tee-shirt, photo, pin…whatever. You'll wind up doing several things: seeing beautiful, historic aircraft, meeting fine people, acquiring a memento of the experience and you'll help support the mission of the Lone Star Flight Museum and Texas Aviation Hall of Fame at Galveston, TX.

FMI: www.lsfm.org