B-17 Hits Some Heavy Crosswinds–Does A Wheelie Before Full Touchdown

All In A Day’s Work For These Guys.

Let’s start off with the fact that this video is awesome for more than one reason. First off, it’s one of the cleanest startup, flight and landing sequences of a B-17 we’ve seen in recent memory. As the description summarizes, it was shot on a GoPro which is a wide angle camera that captures really clear images. Before we get to that landing though, we just have to say that the camera was placed on the tip of the ball turret which gives you a really neat perspective of the whole flight. Really, watch it for a bit and see for yourself.

Feel free to skip around the video. The flight is quite long but do notice the unique perspective from the ball turret. The landing sequence starts 4:30 into the video if you want to jump right to it.

Now the approach is pretty standard for a crossing wind landing. Filmed from the back, the pilot crabs the B-17 and faces into the wind. There’s a bit of wobbling and he touches down on the starboard wheel before straightening out and touching down completely.

What’s amazing to us, and correct us if we’re wrong, is that this is all stick and rudder. We do realize that the guys flying these vintage aircraft are not your average Joes, but man, you have to have some feeling for these machines to land like that without modern computers (fly by wire). Also, that’s a lot of responsibility to land an aircraft like that knowing that there’s just a dozen of them left.

Just our two cents. Enjoy the video!