Texas Raiders (CAF) Invades Bell County, Texas

By ANN Contributor Tom Griffith

Texas is a lucky state in more ways than one. Not the least of the luck of the Texans is that they share their state with three Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortresses.” Galveston is the home of Thunder Bird and Houston is the home of Texas Raiders.

Chuckie is a B-17 that is based in Fort Worth. The government of Texas would like to remind the whole world that two of the remaining airworthy B-17s in existence, Texas Raiders and Thunder Bird are hangared less than 50 miles from each other. Their northern sibling, Chuckie, helps to provide North Texas with the protection of a strategic bomber. Note that Texas has not been invaded by any other state or nation for years - the three “Forts” are obvious deterrents. In Texas we have a saying: “Don’t Mess with Texas,” and the B-17s have made it quite clear to invaders that if you should even try to mess with Texas, our Flying Fortresses will come to where you live and rain bombs down on you.

Just kidding about the 'bomb' thing...

These retired bombers now provide crowds all over the North American continent with entertainment, history and reminiscence. The weekend of 18 and 19 August, 2001 saw Texas Raiders on a visit to Draughon-Miller Airport (TPL) in Temple (TX). The big bomber arrived around 1100, local time, on Saturday the 18th. The plane was flown by Pilot Commander “Col.” Walt Thompson and Pilot “Col” John Shofner. A number of other folks from the Gulf Coast Wing of the Confederate Air Force also made the trip. Among them were two other members that made up the four-person flight crew. Texas Raiders flies under the FAA civil registration of N7227C and bears the USAAF serial number 483872 on the tail. This serial number is the actual serial number that the plane was assigned when it was completed late in the War in 1945.

Hop a Ride

To help raise funds for the tremendous costs involved in keeping a nearly-60-year-old bomber airworthy, walk-through tours for the public were offered for a few bucks a person. If you wanted to take a flight of fancy and fantasy, the price was $350.00 for a 45 or so minute flight around Bell County. 

Texas Raiders can carry 6 “passengers” who occupied various positions around the big bomber. The premium seat, as far as I could see, was that of the bombardier position - it was right in the very front of the big bird. The only problem was that while on the ground, this seat is the hottest seat on the plane (maybe in the whole country) - it was near 100° F that weekend. Couple that with the black asphalt ramp and the bombardier’s seat was literally a “hot seat.” The gentlemen that I observed sitting in this position on two flights seemed to indicate that it was worth the exposure to the extreme heat and Texas sun, though.

The lucky few who got to fly in the B-17 were given a briefing by “Col” Thompson and “Col” Shofner. [“Col” is in quotation marks because every member of the Confederate Air Force is a "Colonel" --TG.] John Shofner asked everyone if they signed the release that basically said that they were “taking a ride in a 60 year-old airplane being flown by someone that they didn’t know.” (Note: this is basically what you hear whenever you fly commercial airlines, but the planes are a few years younger!) The lucky passengers were then led outside to the waiting B-17. They posed as a group in front of the big Boeing so that friends and family could photograph them on this probably once-in-a-lifetime chance. I do not know the exact number of these flights that were made over the weekend, but it must have been 6 or 7. 

A fair number of people also paid to walk through the bomber while it rested in-between excursions. Some members of the Texas Raiders gang also sold various caps, shirts, photos, books and other souvenirs in the airport terminal building. All in all, I hope that the Texas Raiders gang earned enough money to keep her flying a little longer!

Texas Raiders on the 'net

Check out the CAF Gulf Coast Wing’s home page at http://www.gulfcoastwing.org to see if Texas Raiders is coming to your neck of the woods. Even if you can’t scrape up the dough to take a ride in her, take the walk-through and photograph her to your heart’s content. 

Also, read the actual history of this Douglas-built B-17 on the home page. By the way, the historical data on the web site answers a question that I’ve had, but always have forgotten to ask - if the name, Texas Raiders, was a name of an actual B-17 during WWII. (The answer is, "no.") Regardless, it has taken a lot of blood, sweat, tears and money to return this flying treasure from its postwar status as a freight-carrier, high-altitude photographic platform and other non-military role aircraft into an authentic WWII bomber once again. This on-going mission has one purpose: to keep this magnificent airplane from being “smelted back into pots and pans,” to quote the late Jeff Ethell in his description of the fate of most US WWII aircraft that survived the War.

One final note for you motorheads out there: Texas Raiders is powered by 4 Wright R-1820 Cyclones, each cranking out about 1,200 HP. I noted that Engines No. 1 and 2 were originally built by Wright and the remaining two, by Studebaker. (Studebaker, for you youngsters out there, was an American automaker who made cars up until the late 1960s.) Various engine experts have reported that, of the number of companies that actually built R-1820s during the War, Studebaker’s product was the most durable. I’ve checked under the hood(s) of Thunder Bird, and most recently, she had four Studebakers hanging on her magnificent wings. So, thank you Studebaker for your contribution to the War effort, and for keeping the Texas Air Force flying!

[This correspondent has been photographing “Texas Raiders” for over ten years and has photos of her from every angle except from the very top! Maybe one day, that will come true!]

FMI: http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/7709/warbrd2.html