Jumping out of a B-17, this time for fun.

What better way to skydive in style but out the bomb bay of a B-17. Several members of the Chicagoland Skydiving Center got the opportunity to jump from the belly of the B-17, "Nine-O-Nine", owned and operated by the Collings Foundation. Interesting that this was sort of a recreation of how some aircrew members bailed out of stricken B-17's during the war. Fortunately this time the plane wasn't in a death spiral to the ground.

Below is the video of the jump along with a link to a really neat panoramic projection of the inside of "Nine-O-Nine".

..and of course Avgeekery.



vintagetin.net...

www.avgeekery.com...

a reply to: Sammamishman

What an amzing experience. Those guys are pretty lucky. I'm sure those guys have had plenty of interesting, jumps but an opportunity to jump from a B-17 flying fortress is rare.

a reply to: Sammamishman
that's awesome! would love to try that someday.

Oh man......authentic.....
can you imagine getting out of a stricken B-17....if it was spiraling, you'd be pinned against the wall......they probably got hurt in the war getting out of the plane.....I picture the B-29 that got the left wing off at the root on the films.....the formation should have been evading the flack by changing altitude....that scene gives me the willy's

a reply to: Sammamishman

Holy hell that was amazing. I can't imagine having to bail out of one of those baby's in a terminal dive would have been easy. Awesome find!

originally posted by: Bfirez
a reply to: Sammamishman

Holy hell that was amazing. I can't imagine having to bail out of one of those baby's in a terminal dive would have been easy. Awesome find!

My grandad did. he was a ball turret gunner. the belly one. HE shot down 3 germans in his career.

a reply to: yuppa

Musta been a hell of a shot.

originally posted by: Bfirez
a reply to: yuppa

Musta been a hell of a shot.

You be surprised how your aim improves when you have a me-109 bearing down on you.