# History buffs and aviation dopers envy me! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 16, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639 "2011-04-16T19:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/21 "2011-04-17T22:59:33Z")
My B-17 crewmember encounter this week was at the Palm Springs Air Museum. I had the chance to chat with USAAC Staff Sergeant[Ralph Peterson](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5061/5629237452_2b96047db0_b.jpg), one of the docents for [“Miss Angela”](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5306/5629239804_e5f6128ca9_z.jpg). He was a ball-turret gunner for 33 missions. I said he seemed a bit tall for the job, and he explained the assignment process: they looked at a photo of the gunner crew and the smallest guy in the picture got the job. I asked if he ever encountered a ME262, he said one flew past so close that he made eye contact with the German pilot. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/22 "2011-04-19T16:49:06Z")
I toured one ages ago at an air show in OKC. Actually not that crowded as most people wanted to see the jets. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/23 "2011-04-19T19:52:19Z")
A friend of mine flew on that same B17 several years ago. He actually paid for some stick time and logged .25 hours. I think it was $500. Way cool. I met a guy at a bar on Veterans Day who claimed (and I have no reason to doubt him) to have been a waist-gunner on a 17. Says he was shot down three times in France. Two jumps and a forced landing. I was happy to buy him a beer. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/24 "2011-04-19T19:59:09Z")
Will you get to bomb anything? Unless you get to actually drop live bombs I refuse to be impressed. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/25 "2011-04-20T01:49:22Z")
Here is some info on flights in warbirds from the [Collings](http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_flightexperiences.htm) Foundation. If you wander around their site, you will find that they also offer rides in their F-4D and mention future flight training in their Me-262 from the Paine Field [project](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_262_Project). ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/26 "2011-04-26T14:09:20Z")
If you live in the Upper Left Hand Corner of the map, you have a chance to fly in a [B-17](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014875538_b17flights26m.html) this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/27 "2011-04-26T14:17:02Z")
I heard that. I _so_ want to do that! Maybe next year. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/28 "2011-04-26T14:24:02Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > you get to actually drop live bombs _Ideally_ on some unreconstructed Nazis somewhere. The flight radius might reach Illinois… ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639/29 "2011-04-27T01:00:01Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > All in all a very, very cool day. Indeed - by even the strictest standards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-buffs-and-aviation-dopers-envy-me/578639.md?page=1)