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During this last year, there have been events both good and\nbad. In the aviation field, the latest horrific event was the loss of the\nCollings Foundation\u2019s B-17G, \u201c909.\u201d This hit me hard because I have a soft spot\nin my heart for Flying Fortresses, particularly 909.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I married my wife in 2000, I had a lot more free\ntime. I had no real obligations during that time, other than finishing grad\nschool. I hung out at the airport, where the big B-17 went through its annual\nmaintenance periods. I worked as a \u201cgofer,\u201d helping the A&Ps who were\nturning wrenches, fixing gripes, tweaking avionics, tuning the big Wright\nradials, and doing metalwork. I helped buck rivets in the starboard wing of the\nbig bomber\u2026 Probably about 4000 or so. If you didn\u2019t know, the airplane has a\nmassive wing with a span of 103 feet 9 inches and a wing area of 1420 square\nfeet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What bothers me the most following an aircraft crash are the\ncomments from many unqualified \u201carmchair quarterbacks.\u201d Many of these\nindividuals making comments aren\u2019t pilots, haven\u2019t been in the business in\nyears, are a bunch of \u201cwannabes,\u201d or perhaps only possess a private pilot\ncertificate. In short, they don\u2019t know squat about what they\u2019re talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, many of those making comments are heartless. The loss of the B-17 is one thing, but the loss of all the souls on board and the injuries others suffered is the most crucial aspect of any crash. The loss of an aircraft is one thing, the loss of lives quite another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Some of the comments made by the unqualified are nothing more than speculation. They do nothing to illuminate the cause of the crash or contribute to avoiding future events of a similar nature. Comments made by the Monday morning quarterbacks usually reflect only their ignorance. If they were smart, they would stop talking and exercise patience. Let the NTSB and the FAA do their jobs in gathering information and reporting back to all of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I really wish I had taken more photos of 909 when I had the chance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I have not been writing over the past year. This was due to many reasons, including the death of my wife, teaching, house hunting and moving closer to my university, fixing up a new house, running the publishing business, and … Continue reading