Fun Family Field Trip

On Saturday our family joined the Stockade boys from church on an awesome field trip to a World War II air museum. We learned quite a bit about the B-24, B-25, and B-17. We got to see all these planes up close, though the B-24 is still being re-constructed from scratch, and we even got to go inside the B-17! Both the B-25 and the B-17 are flyable, and they fly each summer in several air shows. This was particularly fascinating for us because my husband's father helped build and maintain the B-24 during the war. It is amazing to have a WWII vet for a father in law! They are becoming such a rarity as the years go by.

Here are C and Little Man standing beside the B-25 propeller. The B-25 is the plane used by Doolittle's crew during the Tokyo raid. If you have seen any war movie involving that raid, you may recall that they had to take off from an aircraft carrier with only 600 feet of runway. These planes were designed to take off on a runway twice that long. Looking at this plane, we could not believe that they were able to do it. Even though it is a medium bomber (as opposed to a heavy bomber) it is BIG!


G and L under the nose of the B-25.


It was seriously cramped inside the B-17! It was designed for 18-20 year old young skinny boys! Sadly, so many of them did not make it home. Here Little Man and I are walking on a narrow walkway across the top of the bomb bay to get from the main part of the fuselage to the front of the plane. When the plane was in flight and the bomb bay doors were open, you would have been able to see straight down several thousand feet. On either side of my shoulders it is just open to the ground. Very freaky!

In front of the B-17.


This made the day unforgettable for Little Man!! He did not want to get out of this toy plane. It fit him perfectly, and he happily pedaled for about half an hour. They keep it at the museum just for little visitors to play in.


G and L sitting in the bombadier's seat in the B-17.


The whole Stockade gang in front of the B-25.