Walkthrough Tour Inside of B-17 Flying Fortress 'Piccadilly Lilly II' - Planes of Fame Museum

See the inside of a B-17 Flying Fortress. Come visit the museum and help contribute to make this warbird airworthy again! Ongoing restoration.

Also at the museum I met a WWII Veteran who is credited with shooting down 2 German aircraft, a Bf109 and a Fw190 from the Ball Turret on his B-17. Wilbur Richardson

[miketakacs]

Excellent narration. All the grunting, huffing and puffing and snuffling really gave an authentic feeling of the B17 experience.

[horsepower]

My wife and I were last at the museum just after the acquisition of Lilly and had an opportunity to talk with gentlemen that had been crew members of B-17s during the war. I was lucky enough(?) to have worked for a man who was a tailgunner on one during the war and entertained by his memories of the action he saw while in the Air Corps, once while sitting in his car watching a B-17 fire bomber work a fire on a lumber yard in downtown Redding California. Quite a sight seeing it come in just above the tops of the power poles. That same plane is still in operation but is now refinished as Sentimental Journey.

[dondidykes]

I went on a b17 and almost couldn't fit between the bomb racks

[namanmati]

Who else thinks b-17 still looks the toughest bomber in world
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[eidqdwi]

Its know wonder so many brave crew perished they just couldn't get out of this aircraft, much respect to our USA cousins from a very grateful UK

[billamend]

I am on the restoration team that is working to return this aircraft to flight status. More details are available on the Picadilly Lilly II Wiki page and the museum webpage. Considering this video includes the videographer going into areas of the aircraft that are closed to the public to do the video (i.e., the bombbay and cockpit and top turret) it is pretty bold to publically post this. There is also a FaceBook page on which restoration progress is posted regularly.

[dondidykes]

That plane was in 12 o'clock high show back in the 60s

[petrosshaw]

been to 30+ air museums and this Planes of Fame museum in california is right up there, top 3

[BeachsideHank]

All non- pilot crew would assemble amidships for takeoff and landing to make it the center of gravity. Yes, you could access the tail gun position, not necessarily easy, but doable, not only the tail wheel but camera equipment was mounted back there to take strike photo's. The "G" had what I think was called the "Cheyenne" turret- like tail mount which afforded a greater field of fire than the earlier models which were simply pair of guns mounted on a swivel. My father was a tail gunner, he flew this and earlier models, he said the "G" was much better thanks to the waist gun windows that cut down on the wind that would come howling down the fuselage and exit out through his position, he stated the electric suits never could keep up with the chill factor and it was always bitterly cold back there. He also said it was the loneliest station being so remote from the rest of the crew, even the ball turret gunner had company. Additionally, it was his job to give an element position and strike report- for obvious reasons- so he was one busy guy back there. And finally, after a mission one day the crew was over the channel near home, gathered amidships and bs'ing- it was considered "safe skies"- when a lone wolf ME or FW jumped them, he said all hell broke loose with everybody scrambling to get back to their station, he said he managed to give the guy a good "Stitching" when he made another pass, and flew off. Smart guy, that German pilot, looking for an easy kill while gunners are relaxing smoking a "Luckie".☺

[FetchTheSled]

I'll be there next week! My cuz got his license there at Chino.

[colbyspeaks]

I just wonder if this B-17 going to be restore?

[slimchancetoo]

Thank you very very much for NOT USING A WIDE ANGLE LENS!!! Much more faithful image. I once suggested another video poster that he did not do the somewhat cramped confines of the B-17 flight deck justice by portraying it as a 'ball room' that could accomadate 50 or so guests". He was mightily pissed off at my comment.

[hasanfurkancengiz]

you should have climbed that glass nose chair 😢 other than its great video ive never seen internal structure and crews perspective before.

[miaouew]

Heavy Metal! But where are the Loc-Nar zombies?

[scottprather]

You need to get some more extraneous sound in that video anyway keep your day job for now at least

[powerstriker]

No wonder it look familiar I didn’t read the title it is from planes of fame right next to my house!

[fortress]

Hope she gets to Fly again, keep her in sky where she will be free once again.

[Cheetosbag]

No wonder it’s called the flying fotress

[oldbaldfatman]

Dec. 6, 2020---Yeah, that place has REALLY changed thru the years. First time I went there was in '75 when I got stationed at March AFB. They had ONE hanger that had been built for WW 2. Was told by a lady working there that after the war, some guy raised chickens inside of it and when I went to look at their most valuable planes, there was A LOT of pigeon shit on the rafters. What reference books they had were sold in a single wide trailer which was where you also paid your admission. A lot of the planes were store either outside by themselves or surrounded by a chain link fence.

Also, there's another air museum right down the street which I think is pretty damn nice. Not as big or fancy, but well worth going to. I actually got photos of a TBF turret that the owner had bought from some movie studio.

Used to drive truck and was east of Disneyworld where there's another air museum with lots of stuff to see. They have a B-17 (non-flyable) that you can enter and at 5' 10" tall, I had to stoop to make sure I didn't hit my head. Thanks for the video.

[gavinowen]

I bet the cameraman would've been thinking #$%@ this squeezing through the bomb bay!🤣🤣🤣