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Fuddy Duddy flies again

Buckled onto a bench seat in a rear cargo bay as the B-17 "Flying Fortress" bomber roars down the runway, the mind begins to wander. One can only imagine what it must have been like to embark on a 10-hour mission deep into the heart of Germany during the middle of World War II, knowing extreme weather, enemy fighter planes and anti-aircraft cannons were waiting.

Consider flying in what was basically an open aircraft, in the middle of winter, at altitudes approaching 30,000 feet, without the luxury of a pressurized cabin. Temperatures routinely dropped to 30 or 40 degrees below zero, and frostbite was common, despite layers of warm clothing.

Then, consider that the crews of a bomber were often young men, usually in their late teens or early 20s, and think of the fear and adrenaline that must have been surging through them, knowing that injury and death was a very real possibility, each and every time they took off.

The B-17 was known for its "survivability," and many of the bombers managed to fly back to base despite sustaining heavy flak damage during missions. There are many photographs showing B-17s that made it back with gaping holes torn through the fuselage.

Still, most bomber crews flew a standard of 25 missions, and on average, only one in four would complete all 25 missions and return home. Of the 12,000 B-17s built during World War II, 4,800 were shot down.

"This was a very horrible time, a horrible experience. But it was under circumstances when people were willing to make that sacrifice, because the alternative was even worse, which would have been domination by Nazi Germany," said Michael Hall, a retired Air Force general and the executive director of Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Big Flats.

The famed "Fuddy Duddy" B-17 just returned here, to its hometown. As part of a lease agreement, the vintage plane -owned by Wings of Eagles - has spent the summer flying across the country with the "Salute To Veterans" tour, run by the large Osh Kosh, Wisc.-based Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).