#texasraiders

[sentinelchicken]

The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” of the Commemorative Air Force starts its engines at Warbirds Over Dallas this past October. Note the ground crew ready with the fire extinguishers.⁣ ⁣ Note the slots on the wing just behind the engine nacelles- they’re the exhaust slots from the intercooler of the Flying Fortress’s turbosupercharger. ⁣ ⁣ The turbosupercharger is driven by exhaust gases from the radial engines- the turbine of the turbosupercharger compresses incoming air and delivers it to the engine, improving the engine’s power output at high altitude as it’s being fed compressed air as if it were operating at a lower altitude. ⁣ ⁣ However, one of the thermodynamic consequences of compressing the air is that it heats up and this can decrease the air density, offsetting the very compression you’re trying to accomplish. Intercoolers are used in turbosuperchargers reduce the air temperature and can also increase the pressure of compression by virtue of the flow restriction by the internal fins in the intercooler. ⁣ ⁣ If you look at the leading edges of the B-17’s wing, there are rectangular openings which are the intakes for incoming air that’s compressed by the turbosuperchargers and another intake that’s for the cooling air that flows through the intercooler. The exhaust air from the intercoolers is vented out through those slots on the top of the B-17’s wing.⁣ ⁣ #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #WingsOverDallas2021⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #instagramaviation #igaviationcontest #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation ⁣#TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW94SSbsVkf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sentinelchicken]

The B-17G “Texas Raiders” on its bombing run! Well, sort of. You get the idea. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ During the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, most B-17 Flying Fortress missions were flown from 25,000-30,000 feet, but if the target was weakly defended by flak, the bombing missions could take place at considerably lower altitudes on the order of 15,000 feet.⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Bombing accuracy tailed off with increasing altitude as did flak accuracy, for that matter. From the IP (Initial Point) where the bombing run started, to the actual bomb drop point was about 10 miles and took about 30 seconds to traverse while the bombardier took control of the aircraft via the Norden bombsight. It was an agonizingly long 30 seconds to fly straight and level to the bomb drop point! ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ USAAF planners were not biased by notions of the accuracy of high altitude daylight bombing. Data from training and ongoing missions showed that a bomber at 20,000 feet at a 1.2% chance of hitting a 100x100 foot square target zone. That meant you needed just over 200 bombers to have a 90% chance of destroying that target. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ The standard 500 lb bomb had a lethal radius of under 90 feet and it dug a crater just two feet deep and nine feet across. As a result, the need for 1000-plane bombing missions against key targets becomes pretty obvious!⠀ ⠀ ⠀ It’s been said that “amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.” A typical Eighth Air Force B-17 bombing mission used the same amount of aviation fuel as what Nazi Germany could produce in a single month for the Luftwaffe. And in 1944-1945, there were some days where there were several such missions mounted by both the Eighth Air Force in the UK and the Fifteenth Air Force based in Italy. ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #WingsOverDallas2018 #WoD2018 ⠀ ⠀ #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekNation (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B72IIWmhFlW/?igshid=5bfp9pabdlgm

[sentinelchicken]

The B-17G “Texas Raiders” on its bombing run! Well, sort of. You get the idea. ⠀ ⠀ During the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, most B-17 Flying Fortress missions were flown from 25,000-30,000 feet, but if the target was weakly defended by flak, the bombing missions could take place at considerably lower altitudes on the order of 15,000 feet. Bombing accuracy tailed off with increasing altitude as did flak accuracy, for that matter. ⠀ ⠀ Interestingly in the Pacific Theater, most B-17 missions were flown from medium altitude and the B-17s were even trialed in low altitude skip-bombing, but that was a mission better suited to medium bombers like the B-25 Mitchell or A-20 Havoc that were more maneuverable at low level.⠀ ⠀ USAAF planners were not biased by notions of the accuracy of high altitude daylight bombing. Data from training and ongoing missions showed that a bomber at 20,000 feet at a 1.2% chance of hitting a 100x100 foot square target zone. That meant you needed just over 200 bombers to have a 90% chance of destroying that target. The standard 500 lb bomb had a lethal radius of under 90 feet and it dug a crater just two feet deep and nine feet across. As a result, the need for 1000-plane bombing missions against key targets becomes pretty obvious!⠀ ⠀ The B-17 did have fairly respectable high altitude performance thanks to a lightly loaded wing. Postwar, some B-17 target drones were flown to 40,000 feet and one Boeing test crew took a B-17 to just over 43,000 feet, setting an altitude record for four-engined piston aircraft. ⠀ ⠀ #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvgeekNation #WingsOverDallas2018 #WoD2018 #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4v7nb-hZYR/?igshid=1e57rs1eq0gyp

[sentinelchicken]

The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” makes an overhead pass, showing off its Bendix-built chin turret under the nose nicely. Generally considered the definitive variant of the B-17 Flying Fortress, much of the improvements in the B-17G variant stemmed from the YB-40 variant of the Flying Fortress which was conceived as an heavily armed escort “gunship” that traded bombs for more guns. Only a small number of the gunships were built and only 48 missions were flown, the last five missions the YB-40 was used in pairs in the lead formation to protect the mission commander. The heavy weight of the guns proved impractical as the YB-40 struggled to keep up with stock B-17s that had dropped their bombs. The chin turret on the YB-40 as well as using offset waist gun positions to give the waist gunners more room were some of the features from the YB-40 program that were incorporated into the B-17G. Luftwaffe tactics started to involve head on attacks on bomber formations in an attempt to incapacitate the flight crew and the chin turret made those head on attacks much more costly for the defending fighter aircraft. In fact, the chin turret was so desired in the skies over Nazi Europe that the last 86 B-17Fs built got the chin turret- 3,405 B-17Fs were built, only the last 86 had the G’s chin turret. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvgeekNation #WingsOverDallas2018 #WoD2018 #blackandwhitephotography #blackandwhitephoto #blackandwhite #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/sentinelchicken/p/Buh_QH6FYJK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ojkp2eo7my4n

[sentinelchicken]

“Texas Raiders”, a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, gets airborne for its flying display at Dallas Executive Airport (the former Redbird Airport). This particular B-17G was built in 1944 by Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. That’s right- Douglas. The pressing need for B-17 Flying Fortresses for the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany led to two other companies assisting the war effort to build B-17s- besides Boeing, there was Lockheed’s Vega Division in Burbank and Douglas’s Long Beach Division. The first variant built by all three companies was the B-17F with Douglas building 605 and Lockheed building 500. The improved B-17G was introduced on the production line in July 1943. Douglas would build 2395 G models and Lockheed built 2250. “Texas Raiders” was one of the last 20 B-17Gs built at Long Beach. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #Avgeekery #WingsOverDallas2018 #WoD2018 #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/BpxN_cjlBqx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=on1wu3hvldjp

[sentinelchicken]

This is the Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress "Texas Raiders" with the Commemorative Air Force. The B-17 along with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator carried the strategic bombing offensive against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. FDR once said "Hitler might have built a wall around Fortress Europe, but he forgot to put a roof on it." At the World War II Memorial in Washington DC, listed amongst the battles of the Second World War is "Air War Over Europe" which was nice to see. Interestingly I had found the US Army Air Forces' casualty survey on the European strategic bombing campaign. By far, the most dangerous position on the B-17 was that of the two waist gunners in the aft fuselage with a 21% casualty rate (killed + wounded). Next most dangerous position in the Flying Fortress was the bombardier with an 18% casualty rate, primarily due to the exposed position in the nose. Tail gunner and navigator (again due to the navigator's exposed position in the nose) were next down the list, with a casualty rate of 13%. The radio operator and dorsal turret gunner were next with a casualty rate of 8%. Next down the casualty rate list are the pilot and co-pilot at 7%. One of the favored tactics by the Luftwaffe was to attack the bombers head on to try and kill the pilots. It was one of the primary driver why the B-17G got the chin turret on the nose that earlier B-17 variants lacked- a little added firepower up front to combat the Luftwaffe's tactics. Safest position on the B-17 Flying Fortress? Believe it or not, the ball turret gunner had a casualty rate of only 6%. Despite the exposed position in the belly and being in the same part of the aircraft as the two waist gunners. Being a physician myself, I found it interesting that the most common lethal injury to B-17 crews were head wounds but the most common non-lethal injury were lower extremity wounds. Surprisingly the least common injury were chest and abdominal injuries. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #CAFWW2AirExpo #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #Avgeekery (at Dallas Executive Airport)

[sentinelchicken]

The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” of the Commemorative Air Force taxies back to its parking spot at Warbirds Over Dallas last year after a demo flight. I’ve always wondered what the slots on the top of the wing of the B-17 were and finally found my answer after some digging- they’re the exhaust slots from the intercooler of the Flying Fortress’s turbosupercharger. The turbosupercharger is driven by exhaust gases from the radial engines- the turbine of the turbosupercharger compresses incoming air and delivers it to the engine, improving the engine’s power output at high altitude as it’s being fed compressed air as if it were operating at a lower altitude. However, one of the thermodynamic consequences of compressing the air is that it heats up and this can decrease the air density, offsetting the very compression you’re trying to accomplish. Intercoolers are used in turbosuperchargers reduce the air temperature and can also increase the pressure of compression by virtue of the flow restriction by the internal fins in the intercooler. If you look at the leading edges of the B-17’s wing, there are rectangular openings which are the intakes for incoming air that’s compressed by the turbosuperchargers and another intake that’s for the cooling air that flows through the intercooler. The exhaust air from the intercoolers is vented out through those slots on the top of the B-17’s wing. #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #CAFWW2AirExpo #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #Avgeekery #WarbirdsOverDallas2016 #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport)

[sentinelchicken]

“Texas Raiders”, a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, taxis in from its flying display at Dallas Executive Airport (the former Redbird Airport). This particular B-17G was built in 1944 by Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach. That’s right- Douglas. The pressing need for B-17 Flying Fortresses for the strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany led to two other companies assisting the war effort to build B-17s- besides Boeing, there was Lockheed’s Vega Division in Burbank and Douglas’s Long Beach Division. The first variant built by all three companies was the B-17F with Douglas building 605 and Lockheed building 500. The improved B-17G was introduced on the production line in July 1943. Douglas would build 2395 G models and Lockheed built 2250. “Texas Raiders” was one of the last 20 B-17Gs built at Long Beach. | October Aviation Photo Challenge | @kjdphoto1971 | #1017planes | “Beauty and the Beast” | Day 6 | #avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #Dallas #CAFWW2AirExpo #airport #texas #igtexas #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #TexasRaiders #USAAF #WW2 #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #Avgeekery #WarbirdsOverDallas2016 #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Dallas Executive Airport)