The Aluminum Overcast Bits And Pieces

Either the Army thinks you are stupid or wants to help you when you are in a situation that may cause you to panic.

Switch used to change fuel tanks .

For your safety only people who can read very fast are allowed to sit near this exit.

The man who made my trip extra-special, Crew Chief Bob "Gunny" Baumgartner, and me after the flight. Thanks, Gunny.

The Aluminum Overcast In The Air (part 4)

Looking out waist gunner's window.

Looking out waist gunner's window.

Looking toward the tail through the top turret.

Number 3 and 4 engines (co-pilot side).

Number 1 and 2 engines (pilot side).

Looking out the nose as we were still rising above the runway. This is the only photo I took in the bombardier section because I was so excited to be there I forgot to take anymore. This was the highlight of my flight.

The Aluminum Overcast In The Air (part 3)

Rack of bombs with names written on them. I forgot to ask who and why those names were on them.

This is the crew chief standing right under the top gun turret.

Radio room. Once of my favorite photos as in the lower left corner you can see the smart phone someone sitting in the radio operator's seat was holding. Hello, past, meet the future.

On return to the airport I ended up in a seat across from the door in the rear of the aircraft. The seat belt latched across it puzzled me since it was used to bar anyone from entering the aircraft when the door was open on the ground. Then I realized it was latched to keep it from being thrown around if the air got too bumpy.

The Aluminum Overcast In The Air (part 2)

Photos of the waist gunner's machine gun.

Gun barrel and port.

Close-up of gun port and the cartridge belt.

I always thought these guns were just point and shoot but in this photo you can see the metal box installed behind the gun grip. I love the wooden cartridge belt holder on the wall to the right of the gun.

Close-up of box with the gun site on top and the various gauges and knobs used to fire the gun accurately.

Close-up of opposite gun showing the rest of the knobs on the box.

The Aluminum Overcast In The Air

Looking from the back of the aircraft to the front. Row of seats on the right with waist gunner station behind it, ball turret and yellow container above the ball turret holding whatever fluid it is that operates the ball, platform around turret to radio room, and then the flight deck.

Looking past the yellow tank into the flight deck. That guy in the baseball cap is sitting where I was sitting on take-off.

Close-up of seats and seat-belts. The latches on the belts were different from any I've used before and it took me a few seconds to figure out how they worked.

Close-up of ball turret and walkway.

The pilots. I sat right behind the co-pilot on the right on take-off.

The Aluminum Overcast On The Ground (part 2)

Upper gun turret behind the cockpit.

Fuselage and waist-gunner window. If you look closely you will see the machine gun pointing right at the camera.

(Remember, click on photos to enlarge.)

Tail. I have no idea what the letters mean.

Rear gun with period dressed and equipped mannequin sitting behind the plexiglass. This was the only area we were not allowed in.

Close-up of mannequin.

The Aluminum Overcast On The Ground

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1888)

The Aluminum Overcast is World War II bomber built in 1945. It has four Curtis Wright 1820-97 nine-cylinder radial engines. Six to ten passengers are allowed on each flight along with a crew of three; two pilots and one crew chief. After take-off passengers are allowed to walk around but I had the wonderful experience of being allowed to sit forward in one of the jump seats behind the pilots and next to the crew chief. As we were lifting off the ground he unbuckled himself and leaped up motioning me to do the same. This allowed me to crawl toward the nose of the aircraft and into the bombardier section where I took a photo through the plexiglass just as the aircraft flew over the end of the runway. That photo will be in the In Flight photos. Today we will start with photos I took while the aircraft was on the ground.

As you can tell it was a cloudy day which caused our flight to be delayed for a couple of hours. The wait was worth it.

Aluminum Overcast revving up for the first flight of the day. We were the second.

Two of the huge Curtis Wright engines

The cockpit above and the bombardier section in the nose with the Norden Bombsight visible behind the plexiglass.