The Collings Foundation has a pair of World War II bombers which it flies around the country, to help raise funds to keep these vintage aircraft flying. They were both in Seattle for the Independence Day weekend, and we were lucky enough to hear and see the B-17 flying over while we had our street barbecue celebration. The planes were stationed at the Museum of Flight which is located at Boeing Field, south of downtown Seattle. The B-17 actually flies "passengers" around, but this requires bookings a week in advance, which I wasn't aware of. It costs $350 for a flight. But for just $7, it's possible to tour the planes while they are on the ground. So, on Friday, July 5th, I did just that! As did some others, though I suspect it would have been much busier over the weekend.
The starboard outboard engine shows the radial nature of these engines - the cylinders are arranged in a circle around the crankshaft (or its equivalent - I'm mostly ignorant of radial engines).
The starboard inboard engine and undercarriage. The ladder for the internal tour exit is visible near the rear of the plane.
