Aero Vintage Books

There's a camouflaged B-17E, either 41-2405 or 41-2434, in that formation photo as numbers 2 and 3 to that multi-color B-17D on early 1942 patrol out of Hickam. Hope that helps. I can't recall the B-17D serial!

Regards,
Dan Katz
PS - hope this helps.

The actual "Buy It Now" price is $14.50; postage is something like $2.95.

I only wish I could afford it!

Now's your chance!


Dan Katz

The correct name for this gentleman is jfukuro, alias John Cowles. I asked him if there was any way I could get a copy of the recording and he said that if I bought the sheet music, ($14.95 or thereabouts) he would put it (the big band version of this ditty) on a CD and send it to me along with the ...

Please be advised: On eBay, there are 2 sets of the written lyrics to "Alexander the Swoose" on offer; the second one, with the photo of Kay Kyser in the corner of the front page, ALSO has a media player WITH A RECORDING OF "ALEXANDER THE SWOOSE, PLAYED BY LES BROWN'S BAND, AND SUNG BY DORIS DAY!!! ...

Thank you all so very much! Dad was sort of an irascible, Archie Bunker, type;NRA life member, and the better he felt, the more sarcastic he'd get! But what do they say? "Great men have great faults"? He did ALL those things I've told you about, and more. I've told you the short version; I hope to w...

Dear Scott, esteemed "Sharktail Posse", members, history buffs, and readers: This is one of the most dificult things I've had to do. I hope I can get through this My father, Bernie Katz, took off on his last flight at an apporpriate time for a 12l-year-old recipient of "Quiet Birdmen" wings from Lin...

What is that line from W.E.B. Griffin? "Thw true test of a man's intelligence is how much he agrees with you"? If so, you two are GENIUSES!!! (Or else I'm a lot smarter than I thought....) This would be the easiest and best configuration to convert to, as both paint schemes are almost identical; the...

Dear Scott, AMEN!!! I believe that, actually, she SHOULD be restored WITH her "Bathtub" attached, and, that way, she can be marked as EITHER "Ole' Betsey" OR "Swoose" in her earliest service to the General. This would allow both these options to be alternated whenever she needs repaint, and it would...

A little late, but I've been busy with personal problems relating to my world war 2 veteran just-turned-86 in early September dad; Beautiful photos, great tributes to a magnificent lady! The sharktail somehow has a grace and beauty that the bigassbird never quite will, although the big tail birds ha...

That was VERY kind!

-as usual, I am both humbled and honored!

Gratefully,

"Dan" Katz

PS - this online "Posse comitatus" when assembled inb search of just about ANY information re the Boeing B-17 Fortress is clearly unbeatable!!!

-Talk about an information resource!!!!

Dear Sirs and Ms., The answers so far are in line with everything I've seen about B-17s: The tailwheel is free-swivelling, only locks straight back (mainly for takeoff), and would compress at different levels with different loads at different locations, depending on how far aft the load was, of the ...

Gentlemen: (Or, rather, Esteemed Sirs:) To the best of my knowledge, judging by photos I've seen, the B-17B, B-17C, and B-17D propellors and blades were originally in Natural Metal (steel?), as was the prototype B-17E at first. I can only assume that, since the B-17C, B-17D, and, apparently, also, B...

Scott, Did you notice that Cheyenne Tail turret on this bird? That makes it a B-17G, and the Luftwaffe only resurrected 2 or 3 of those that I know of; 1 was shot down by a mosquito over France, I believe, in '44, and another was shot down by Luftstreitkrafte Flak during a move of KG 200's B-17s and...

Dan, Scott,
AN518 was originanlly 40-2043, although it was returned to USAAF Service as "40-2066"
, and AN532 was originally 40-2069, although it was returned to USAAF Service, also in India, as "40-2079" which was the final B-17C USAAF Serial Number.

Thought you'd like to know

Regards,

Dan Katz

I remember this episode and I recall videotaping it, 'way back when... Stored it VERY careully in the Bermuda Triangle.......

It IS a good episode, and nicely done.

I'd enjoyed it at the ime.

-Dan Katz