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Hi to all our members ... We  would just like to draw your attention to the latest post on the following link... Thank you for your attention .If you have already responded to my note  on Chatbox  about this please ignore this sticky note ... Thanks  folks ....

http://www.tipf.co.uk/forums/topic/46369-important~-the-forum-its-future-and-finances/

Clicker and Ryewolf   ADMIN TEAM 

Regretfully we have to once again ask members for  some financial support in order to  keep TIPF  running till December 2023. The more pledges we have to become  FRIEND OF THE FORUM  the less the individual cost will be so  if you want this Forum to continue  please follow the link below  and decide  if you are able to  support us . Thank you all for your support in the past ... it has been appreciated  a great deal ...

https://www.tipf.co.uk/forums/topic/57184-202223-forum-finances-update-important-notice/

 Clicker and Ryewolf  ...  Admin Team 

Hi TIPFers 

I AM HERE AGAIN WITH THE  BEGGING BOWL TO ENSURE THE FORUM CAN KEEP GOING ... Please follow  below if you want to  support the continuation  of this Forum and  this  small but friendly community. 

As always your support is  both vital and appreciated ...

 Clicker and Ryewolf ...

https://www.tipf.co.uk/forums/topic/57184-202223-forum-finances-update-4th-july-2023/

 

B-17G Flying Fortress


Denis

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Nothing else to do tonight so I  found a photo from Old Warden a few years ago on one of my storage drives, tickled it up in Lightroom, Topaz and converted to Mono in Nik Silver Efex.....

The aircraft is Sally Ellingboe's Duxford based B-17G 'Sally B' masquerading as the 91st Bomb Groups B-17F 'Memphis Belle' for the film of the same name. the original aircraft was based at RAF Bassingbourne in Cambrideshire in 1943 and was the first of the Groups aircraft and crews to reach the magic number of 25 bombing missions. Soon after they completed the 25th mission, they took the aircraft back to the USA where they toured raising bond money to help finance the war effort. The original aircraft now resides in the Smithsonian Institute exactly how it was during 1943.

Sally B now flies as the USAAF Memorial flight raising awareness of the 52,173 American aircrew lost while daylight bombing of enemy targets in Europe by the 8th USAAF Air Force.

 

fortress rework.JPG

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To put it into perspective Polly the Flying Fortress weighed in at about 29 tons on take off with a crew of 10, full bomb load, fuel, and machine gun ammunition, of which there were ten .50 calibre heavy machine guns of that calibre. Fuel/bomb load ratio was always maximum, ie) full fuel=longer range=less bomb weight carried. Shorter range targets utilised a full bomb load and less fuel. The average bomb load weight was only three and a half tons to targets in Germany !

In comparison, our Heavy bomber with the best performance was the Avro Lancaster, that weighed a little more at about 31 tons with a crew of seven, and full fuel/bomb load.It was only armed with eight rifle calibre machine guns  BUT..its maximum bomb load carried to a medium range target was about 22000 lbs or just a smidge under ten tons. Even the famous Bouncing bomb on the Mohne and Eder Dams raids weighed in at just under nine tons. The Grandslam (ten tons) and Tallboy (five tons) bombs were dropped by the RAF on the Bielefeld Viaduct or the Battleship Tirpitz. Most Lancasters though carried either a 4000lb or 8000lb 'Cookie' blast bomb and the rest of the load was incendiary weapons.

The Mosquito bomber version could carry 4000lb with only two crew and no defensive armanent. It weighed in at just 19000 lbs or nine and a half tons but could fly to Berlin and back, as some did, TWICE a night with a crew change !

The average Airbus A380, the largest civil airliner flying has a take of weight of.....632 Tons, yes, you read that right :)

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Yep, get quite a few this side of the country as Stansted is the diversionary airport for aircraft that are deemed to be suspect. They have a hardstand miles from the Terminal where these are parked so they can be dealt with.

 

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