How cool is this!

[SignManiac]

Two days ago I hear a plane coming in to land out the back door of my shop. Just a few hundred yards away a B-17 Bomber, B-24 Bomber and P51 mustang that landed here for a three day stay. They are part of an exhibit that flies all over the country to display, educate and also offer rides in these vintage planes. I did the walk through tour but didn't get to fly in one. $450.00 per ride because they are so expensive to maintain and operate. I've jumped out of many awesome planes in my lifetime so I'm not really missing anything there. I just can't see wasting good money to get in a plane and then not jump out of it??? Here's a few pics I snapped. It really puts things in perspective when you get inside one and imagine what it must have been like in war times. One third of all the bombers never made it back. Even cooler are the fact that they are still able to fly after all these years.

 

[nikdoobs]

How much extra is it to shoot the machine gun?

 

[SignManiac]

I can't even imagine what 50 caliber bullets cost, especially when they can go through hundreds a minute.

 

[Chriswagner92]

I can't even imagine what 50 caliber bullets cost, especially when they can go through hundreds a minute.

I believe they are between $1-$5 each. The the NC gun and knife show.

 

[SignManiac]

I asked and they said it designated the number of missions that plane had flown. Not sure about the swastikas but I bet the google machine might know?
My most treasured plane I flew and jumped from was a rare, I believe the only one left flying in the world, 1926 Ford TriMotor. But the coolest was a Venezuelan Hercules C-130 exiting at 170 mph. The TriMotor was flying at about 80 mph.

 

[SignManiac]

And the google machines says............ the swastikas probably represented confirmed fighter shoot-downs by the bomber's gunners.

 

[Tim Aucoin]

Very cool... love that kind of history!

 

[Mosh]

All the handpainted work on those is so neat.

The hand painted stuff is cool BUT, I think I spotted some "brush script" on the Witchcraft!!!

 

[SignManiac]

Mosh that was the first glaring thing I noticed too. What a criminal shame to ruin such a pretty plane by using that font...

 

[nikdoobs]

Someone had a blast weeding all that brush script vinyl.

 

[inthesignbiz]

My first paying job in the graphics business was painting air planes at Charlie Day Aircraft Refinishers.
A fun job as we got to work on a lot of these old planes.

 

[Mosh]

I believe they are between $1-$5 each. The the NC gun and knife show.

I have a 50 cal, the rounds are $7.50 each. I reload for about $6 a round.

 

[Cross Signs]

"How cool is this"
Very cool

 

[nikdoobs]

Cooler than a polar bear's toenails....?

Cooler than a polar bear's toenails, but not as cool as .