December 6th 1942: Bombing Mission of El Aouina Airfield

6 Years ago in Dayton…

I remember quite vividly going into the National Museum of The US Air Force for the first time. A very special day, May 17th 2018. I was taken aback by the gigantic hangar. Since it was the grand opening of the restored Memphis Belle exhibit, there were a lot of people. My first impression upon seeing the B-17

Everything you need to know about the Ball Turret

… And a controversy. The Sperry ball turret, was a key defensive feature of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber during World War II. Here are some important aspects of the ball turret: Location: The ball turret was positioned on the underside of the B-17’s fuselage, near the waist of the aircraft. Design: It was a spherical,

Meet B-17 Navigator Bill Rosnyai. B-17 hero who flew 35 missions in Europe

This is a report by Cynthia Canty on Bill Rosnyai. Bill enrolled when he was 18 in Detroit. Listen to this great American Hero who said he couldn’t imagine an 18-year-old today getting in a plane like the B-17 today. He found Masters of The Air’s aerial combat realistic and painful. Thank you for your service Bill

January 11 1937 – The YB-17 36-149 is flown to Wright field, Dayton for testing

On December 2, 1936, the first Boeing YB-17 bomber, U.S. Army Air Corps serial number 36-149, made its maiden flight. This followed the crash of the original Boeing Model 299 prototype on October 30, 1935. Despite this setback, the Army had ordered 13 YB-17s for service testing, designated Y1B-17 and serial numbers 36-149 through 36-161. Prior to first flight,