Dave's Travel Adventures: Keri’s Bomber Flight (Glens Falls, NY)

This isn’t a “place that Dave went,” but the contents I feel are interesting enough to share as an entry. I make that determination as the views of the Adirondack Mountains, and the way they were obtained, as way to remind people to be aware of fun opportunities when they appear.

The ringing of the phone woke me up Sunday morning far earlier than I would’ve preferred. Yeah, the sun was up, but answered with my customary too-early greeting of “Considering how early it is to wake me up, somebody better be dead.” It surprised the crap out of my co-worker Sara. She was calling to let me know that Keri had won the Bomber Raffle, and the flight was today.

It took a moment for the mental fuzziness to clear. Last Friday, I went with a bunch of my co-workers to Davidson Brothers for a gathering, as they knew I’d be leaving the company soon (as I was moving to Texas next month). There was a raffle to win a ride on a B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber, and we’d all put our names in the hat. It seemed when the drawing held late last night, Keri won, so she was heading up to the Glens Falls Airport for it.

While she couldn’t take anyone with her on the ride, once she got there the flight crew let her know the plane was open for inspection beforehand. Keri called a couple people who she thought might be interested in seeing it, and Sara reminded her this was something I’d probably like. It sounded like fun, and was glad I was notified, so any annoyance I had of being woken up had quickly vanished. I threw on some clothes and a hat, and was soon at the Airport.

The bomber was known as Sentimental Journey, and was part of the “Arizona Wing” division of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF, formerly known as the “Confederate Air Force”). The CAF started as a group of WW2 enthusiasts salvaging and reconditioning planes from the era as a hobby. They’d get the planes in working order, and fly them around the country from air show to air show. Interest in the aircraft swelled, as it began a manner of historical preservation. Along the way, as the organization grew and became more respected, they changed their name to what it is now.

I’d actually heard of the “Confederate Air Force” before, thanks to being the subject of an issue of the late 1980s comic series Airboy (which also had an informational piece about the CAF there). Being able to interact with something I’d only heard about was very exciting for me.

With the plane parked on the tarmac, we were allowed access to just about every portion. The cockpit was roped off, but it was nice to see that the original-era equipment had not been replaced by modern conveniences. The hatch to enter inside the plane was small, and the interior cramped. That was a vivid reminder of how being produced during war-time, there was no place for frills and other comforts.

The bomb bay doors were currently open, and there were a pair of dummy bombs strapped in. The narrow catwalk which went from the front of the plane to the tail had nothing but a loose rope to keep you from tumbling over the side. Anyone who flew a mission on this were very brave to start with, but those that stationed here in the belly were more so.

There was a bubble on the bottom with a gun placement, where the smallest of the crew got to be. During a firefight, whoever was assigned there would be squeezed inside, with no protection by the glass around him. The husband of my co-worker Sue commented how this made him think of Amazing Stories where the kid in the bottom bubble was saved when some inflatable wheels popped out from the bottom. I much preferred the truer story which was presented in Memphis Belle.

For about a half-hour we were look at the plane, crawl around inside it, and talk with the pilots. As it came close to take-off time, Keri commented that she’d picked up a disposable camera on the way to take pictures, but didn’t think the 200 speed film inside (and limited ability to focus) would take very good shots. I handed her my camera to use, as the auto-focus and 400 speed film would capture better images. The day was clear, with hardly any clouds, so she should have excellent visibility. We were then shooed off the tarmac, as Keri was secured inside the plane.

One by one, each of the engines started and revived up to appropriate speed. It was loud just being a few hundred feet away from it, can’t imagine what it sounded like inside. Other co-workers took pictures as the plane got itself into position, then taxied down the run way, and lifted into the air. The noise level continued to be high until it got some altitude, and headed northward.

The B-17 Flying Fortress is made entirely of metal, so the power put out by the engines to get it off the ground, and keep it in the air, was considerable. We talked about how loud it would sound when a whole squadron of these things flew overhead on a raid. Once the bomber was out of sight, we went inside the café inside the control tower to await Keri’s return. This flight was scheduled to last about an hour, so there was time for a quick lunch. I took the opportunity also to speak to some of the CAF representatives to get some information, and buy a shirt with Sentimental Journey’s picture on it.

We were notified when the bomber was on its way back in, so we rushed back outside to watch it land. Once Keri has disembarked, she was rather ecstatic about how great of an experience it’d been. She commented she was too busy enjoying the first part of the ride before she remembered she had cameras with her. She’d been sitting at the side gun battery, and had headphones on to muffle the noise, but it was still extremely loud inside. A hollow metal structure does not to dampen sound. We were excited to have our film developed to see how the pictures turned out.

Sentimental Journey had taken a route which paralleled the Northway for a bit, and then turned towards the interior of the Adirondack Park. The route of the plane then went in the other direction so it could fly over Lake George on the return portion of the trip. Keri said the view was fabulous, as she could see peaks for miles and miles. She thought this was an awesome way to spend the morning, as it’d been a beautiful day for it. Unfortunately the bomber wasn’t remaining in the area for long. Every single one of us would’ve forked out the cash for a ride right then and there.

When we looked at the pictures afterwards, we had fun seeing where she’d gone. Some shots had clear landmarks in them (like Tongue Mountain, right on the shores of Lake George)…

While others were a bit more difficult to make out, due to the angle of the shot. This one was probably Long Lake.

Pictures which captured both the mountains and water without any evidence of man-made settlements were some of the most interesting shots, because it was a glimpse of history. Large sections of the Adirondack Park have never had habitation, and have pretty much remained unchanged for hundreds of years.

Even the sections of Lake George that have evidence of civilization (like looking at the point here, where the Sagamore is located), show how small of an amount of the land is developed. This is a clear example of the beauty the Adirondack Park has; what the visitors came here to enjoy, and what the locals get to see every day.

I’m glad that I able to be part (and lend my camera) of Keri’s journey, as the pictures here would be some of the last shots I’d have of the Adirondacks for the foreseeable future.