" HOW TO FLY THE B-17 FLIGHT OPERATIONS " WWII U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES PILOT TRAINING FILM XD59824

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Produced by Boeing Aircraft Company, this restricted, black and white training film from the WWII era is titled “How to fly the B-17 Part II: Flight Operations”. It was produced in conjunction with airplane manufacturer Boeing, and was officially identified as Army Air Forces Training Film TF1-3394. As the title suggests, the film sought to provide USAAF pilot trainees with general familiarization with flight operations of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. This is part 2 of a series of films, with the first film likely focusing on pre-flight ground checks of the aircraft. Notably, the film appears to have been shot at a desert runway, possibly Muroc AAF Base or a similar location.
Opening credits (0:10). Foreword (0:34). Executive officer at the B-17 wing headquarters addresses the camera (1:08). Boeing B-17 flying fortress in flight (1:32). Pilot walks students through the operation of the plane beginning in the cockpit (1:47). Control panel including the marker beacon (2:04). Safety check for the run-up and imminent take off (2:26), with pilot shown adjusting throttles (3:42). RPM gauges move as the engines are rev'd (3:58). Close up on Manifold Pressure gauge, which measures the air pressure within the inlet manifold (4:51) of the constant speed propeller. Pilot sets the gyrocompass (6:29). Take-off of B-17 (7:40). How to operate the aircraft at cruising altitude (11:42). Dashboard displaying power settings used in normal cruising altitudes (12:34). Explanation of a three-point take off using animation, probably created by Paul Peroff or Ted Eshbaugh. (Eshbaugh was a talented cartoon director who made perhaps half a dozen excellent cartoons for various studios). (13:12-17:40). Teacher runs pilots through different hypothetical situations (18:01). Landing instructions (20:31). Control tower reports the altimeter setting (20:36). Landing check-list (21:09). Powering down the aircraft (26:35). Executive officer at the B-17 Wing Headquarters addresses the camera with closing words (28:26). Postscript (28:56).
The Boeing B-17 is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). It was primarily employed by the USAAF in the daylight strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial, military and civilian targets. The United States Eighth Air Force, based at many airfields in central, eastern and southern England, and the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, complemented the RAF Bomber Command’s night-time area bombing in the Combined Bomber Offensive to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for the invasion of France in 1944.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...

[@greg1474]

I am a retired Air Force pilot. It's interesting to note that the "firehose" approach to aviation training also existed during WW II. In my day, we flew T-37s and T-38s before transitioning to our next weapon system (in my case 4 engine heavies). The instructor barking out this, and that, and this, and that was pretty much how it was for me too. Amazing. Also, the kids during WW II didn't have much time to learn. Traning was accelerated, and with very, very little experience a new crew would be sent to ferry their new aircraft across the pond (Maine to Labrador to Greenland to Iceland to Scotland to England). Or they would take the southern route, through the Carribean, Brazil, Dakar, Moracco, England). Many times the navigators would get lost. Many young men never made it into battle because they were killed in training or non-combat flying before they even got to the theater. Once they arrived, the squadron would take their new factory airplane from the crew and give them an older model, usually full of patches and repairs due to flak and figher damage. Many of the pilots were only 19 or 20 years old, and the enlisted crew could be even younger. They were all heroes in my book.

[@betacam22]

They are trully heroes. Thanks fir sharing your history.

[@ArthurSteagallConde]

Did you wrote a book about this subject? Let me know please! Greetings from Brazil sir!

[@greg1474]

@@ArthurSteagallConde Greetings. No, read it in a couple of books. “The Things Our Fathers Saw”, and “Masters of the Air.”

[@Chase1399Aviation]

​@@greg1474 You may also like the book "Serenade to the Big Bird" Bert Styles. You've probably already read it. I'm half way through. Oh, and thank you for your service.

[@carlhicksjr8401]

Well, sir, I hope you'll accept the sincere respects and regards of an old cavalry corporal. A tip of the Stetson to you, sir.

[@SFolkes97]

I saw this and wondered if I'm watching the same film my Dad watched in his training. He was a B-17 pilot, 15th Air Force, 99th BG, Italy. Wish I could watch it with him.

[@stevengoldstein7890]

The greatest generation we owe so much to these guys

[@nobleroofinggeneralcontrac7961]

I bet if I was on that plane back them and said ok my pronouns are he/ him.... I would somehow been out the back at 5k feet.

[@franktatom1837]

The instructor in this film is actor Arthur Kennedy. He played the part of the bombardier in the 1943 WWII movie "Air Force", which featured (if not starred) a B-17 named Mary Ann. The movie was directed by Howard Hawks and had an excellent cast.

[@mikeedwards2621]

Can’t imagine having to remember to read all those gages and making adjustments while being under fighter attack or dodging anti-aircraft barrages. Those were some awesome heroes back then…God bless them all.

[@Pimp-Master]

Yep, but those ships were returning to base at a very slow speed, like 150mph, most of the way, so they had time to go over the checklist. Even so, there could be no functioning instruments; One German shell could take out the entire electrical system, so the crew would be hugging the ground and hoping for the best.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

Most of it becomes muscle memory, if you survive long enough.

[@orangejjay]

You train enough that it becomes second nature. Not to mention that your life depends on accurate understanding of what's going on around you. Anyone who is properly trained could do it.

[@jupitercyclops6521]

Ahh... Gee wiz You'll get the hang of it. Why, you'll be thinking it's the bee's knees. Maybe you can watch the movie again

[@SueBobChicVid]

I liked the 3-point takeoff explanation.

[@michaelobenschain4419]

My late father was a B-17 Pilot. He certainly had a lot to learn. Still one of my favorite airplanes. I had a chance to make two flights on the Collings Foundation's B-17 before it crashed in Connecticut in 2019. That was a shame all the way around.

[@RubyBandUSA]

Very unfortunate tragedy that was. An irreplaceable loss.

[@stonecutter2]

I have a patch from the Nine O' Nine when I saw her many years ago. Very much a shame to lose these amazing aircraft and the lives of those who love them.

[@elderbob100]

As I recall, the engines on that plane had not been maintained properly. Sad for the plane and the passengers.

[@leversforever9748]

Pretty sure that's actor Arthur Kennedy in the co-pilot seat, he did a few training films during WWII

[@jerryconnors8663]

That’s Hollywood actor, Kevin McCarthy, playing the pilot instructor in the co-pilot’s seat. He made several U.S.Army Air Force training films. He most of all is remembered for the famous 1956 film, “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers”.

[@patmccormick9972]

I think that's Arthur Kennedy.

[@jerryconnors8663]

I think you’re right

[@shortride1]

I get them mixed myself

[@dhall058]

And Noah Beery as the rookie pilot.

[@doctorcraptonicus7941]

Kevin McCarthy ruined a couple of takes by ranting about the rest of the crew turning into alien pod people.

[@jaminova_1969]

Thanks Periscope! I learned to fly the B-17 in 1/2 hour! My Uncle Bill was a bombardier on a B-17 during the war. I hope to find some of his Army 8th Air-force records someday.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

You are welcome. God bless your Uncle Bill -- and all those who served. Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@jupitercyclops6521]

I watched it 2×. I think if I watch it 1 more time, I'll be ready. (B17 is orobably like a Cessna, right? Close enough I'm sure) Wish me luck! (To think Mt wife wanted me to take lessons. Psha)

[@robertgordon5562]

My father was in the 8th air force 97th bomb group. After I was type rated in a DC-3 my father showed me how to really fly the airplane.

[@markforest7163]

These men were incredible. I am watching the Masters of the Air series and I am amazed at what they did and what happened to them! I sincerely hope there are enough young people today who have this "right stuff" if we ever need them!

[@matthewbattye5343]

The cartoon training really brought home the concepts and perhaps explains a good number of wartime crashes of the B-17 on poor, muddy runways. Brings home how it took a clear thinking, good training and nerves of steel as the 'trees at the end of the runway' come into view.

[@georgescarvalho2482]

I really enjoy those videos. The use of funny cartoon aids to make the explanation easier and more playful. Remember those pilots were very young and facing war time. Something very hard to try grasp for a 19 or 20 year old man today. Also another funny observation: The instructor looks like Dennis Quaid ‘s grandfather maybe ??? LOL. Great video.

[@dchaz3.0dacan18]

The first written checklist was created for the B-17 after the first test flight crashed soon after takeoff due to the pilot forgetting to release the gust lock.

[@steveb6103]

One nice 3 point landing for a trainee.

[@kutto5017]

How cool is the cartoon training. Just love it

[@palealien]

"You're right on time!". Great film, love that music.

[@cowboybob7093]

20:23 didn't expect to hear the word "helicopter."

[@markrossow6303]

screws were a mix of Standard and Philips, called Minus and Plus in E. Asia -- and almost all slots at a 45° angle -- in the days of manual-only screwdrivers, leaving all the slots in a matching direction was done, even if not all equally tight In an old house, look at door hinge or lightswitch plate screws -- unaligned screws = later remuddling The controls and operator-manual typefaces remind me of of when I learned to drive -- on the 1943 Willys MB in my profile pic Was in North Africa in WW2 -- big non-standard 2nd gas tank, with a fuel-line twist valve on the dash, and a left-right toggle so that the single standard fuel gauge can tell you about both tanks

[@Dmitriy_Pivko]

Usefull information, if someday i will operate b 17, this video helps

[@tonyc223]

The cartoon explanation of lift and drag on take off might seem silly but it is a excellent teaching aid.

[@MTSVW]

Thanks for posting this-so interesting to see the things my grandfather saw & did

[@poppasteve2976]

What a magnificent machine. Got to tour one once--not very roomy inside.

[@mariekatherine5238]

I was inside one at an air show at Dover AFB. No, they aren’t “roomy.” Let’s say they’re, “cozy.”

[@Pimp-Master]

All that effort and cost to just drop 6 bombs on a target. Whew...

[@c1ph3rpunk]

@@Pimp-Master across 250-500 aircraft it adds up, fast.

[@robertmcsorley4001]

Had an opportunity to do a walkthrough of the B-17 Texas Raiders 35 years ago. What an incredible airplane. Took my two young children with me. We met the pilot, a WW 2 veteran and his wife who was the tour guide in the waist gunners position. Being 6'4" I had to do a lot of ducking 😅. Except in the radio shack, I was able to poke my head up thru the opening for the radio operators machine gun location. Nice view in all directions. Took lots of pictures that day. Tragically Texas Raiders was lost with all aboard a few years ago. 😢 She was a beautiful G model.

[@BlackShale]

The instructor is a movie star! I have seen so many of his movies!! :)

[@maccas3037]

Mine hasn't arrived from Amazon but I'm prepared already. 😊

[@oceanic8424]

[12/10/22] One of the most dangerous places to be during WWII. How many crews went out and never made it back? And even nowadays we still keep losing B-17s, and their crews. So tragic.

[@rq4740]

Thanks, I’ll keep this in mind next time I’m in Europe

[@A6Bnito]

Much more complex than I imagined... Manifold pressure, RPM, Turbo, Carb filters, ....etc. Airspeed seems to be an afterthought for most of the settings, by changing RPM and Manifold pressure you achieve airspeed you are looking for (not much mention of angle of attack except for the takeoff). I flew carrier based Navy Med Attack bomber in the 80s/90s once we started the engines, it was fuel flow, airspeed, and angle of attack. Unlike the B-17, rarely could we go fast enough to do much, if any, engine damage; exhaust gas temperature (EGT) was the limiting factor at max thrust (no afterburner).

[@timacrow]

OK, now I need to find a B-17 and go for a flight! And since my mom worked on production art for the B-52, that should be a breeze as well.

[@kwikbit]

Fascinating .... Imagine doing all of this at night and in a strong wind ... 🤪all pilots flying today should be probably shown this as part of their training 😉

[@jupitercyclops6521]

Now imagine having it packed full of explosives and being shot at

[@utube3805]

this is just awesome !

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Glad you found it and appreciate it! Love our channel? Get the inside scoop on Periscope Film and help us save and post more orphaned films! Visit us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm

[@jamesmiller8591]

Yes I remember Arthur Kennedy played the pilot and the story B-17

[@roberts1938]

A great movie.

[@doctorcraptonicus7941]

6:18 - "Hold it with your feet on the runway" I've seen that cartoon, Yosemite Sam's shoes start catching fire.

[@xfreakerx1]

Good ol' days when they just throw you in a job and it's sink or swim. Today, it's a 100k college degree, then they throw you in a job and it's sink or swim.

[@A166-b7x]

Welp, that's for the first year of college today. Try one of the military academies. $500k and a guaranteed job right after graduation. Should be that way for most of the kids these days. But, military isn't for everyone, right...

[@kindnessfirst9670]

@@A166-b7x Who's getting that half million dollars and why?

[@JamLeGull]

Pretty sure the insistence on college degrees has two functions: first it depresses wages for educated people when every admin job wants a bachelors degree at least, secondly if you’re drowning in college debt then you’re not gonna rock the boat at your job by asking for basic respect or a living wage.

[@c1ph3rpunk]

@@JamLeGull in tech it has more to do with being able to hire H1-B’s. If we open up the applicant pool to include non-degree holders we generally can’t sponsor H1-B’s. Personally, I think it’s a good thing, I do it. Some of my most talented people only have a HS diploma, or even a GED, and are self taught the tech skills. I have noticed some downsides to it, they tend to lack some of the time & deadline management skills, business writing skills and a few others that college tends to impart.

[@robmclaughjr]

Amazing how complicated old planes got. People don't understand how knowledgeable pilots and engineers had to be to run aircraft. Nothing was automatic

[@markrossow6303]

so we live uphill from Boeing Field and the Plant 2 site ( mostly cleared as a Superfund cleanup ) When we moved here in 1999, there were 2 Italian farmwives left One remembered picking crops on the land that became Boeing Field, after Lindbergh landed at Jefferson Park, former prison farm... The other remembered B-17s coming out of the plant, taxiing over East Marginal Way, and then test-firing the MGs prior to take-off, if a male pilot was taking it west, to fight against The Empire of Japan No test-firing prior to take-off meant a female ferry-pilot heading east

[@madriditunes7021]

Amazing!

[@assimmaxime]

Wow thats gold!

[@Pimp-Master]

Boy, didn't realize that you had to fly this thing every minute of the mission. Pilot and co-pilot were pretty busy looks like.

[@PDZ1122]

They did have auto pilots.

[@partsguy9423]

Was the fuel available in war time less than normal? they keep talking about 91 grade, aviation fuel is normally 101 Or JP1

[@DaveSCameron]

What a super channel

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Hey ... thanks a lot! We appreciate it. Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@freedomisfromtruth]

Im ready to fly one now, now where does the person with the paddle sit.

[@freekmulder7767]

Impeccable

[@njones223]

Fascinating 👍🏻

[@waterbird91]

I think flying the Starship Enterprise is easier and less complicated. It's a wonder that the check list isn't as long winded as an encyclopedia.....😊

[@jaminova_1969]

Check! Check! Double Check!

[@simonecanepa721]

It is strange that Turbojets or even Turbofan engines, albeit more complex in mathematical terms, seem to be a bit easier to be operated

[@bardo0007]

Thanks for the instructions, I am now ready to fly, just need to find a B-17 ....oh wait....

[@gavinohlhauser1258]

The guys at the Dallas airshow needed this

[@kodysauve3274]

can i shut down my inner engines to conserve fuel ?

[@williamr3840]

What's with the music? This is the air force! :0)

[@robbrown5551]

“Roger, Roger, what’s our vector Victor?”

[@manhoot]

Huh?

[@SOS-School_Of_Survival]

I need clearance, Clarence!

[@manhoot]

Joey do you like movies about gladiators?

[@tonyelliott7734]

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son."

[@bacc1316]

I speak Jive

[@nephewbob7264]

Always remember to bring the cartoon guy with the paddle- just in case the turbo regulators are a bit slow.

[@mrpddean3439]

With one less the "Texan Raider" I doubt whether many will pilot one now the air boss needs to be attached to the runway and a few planes landed

[@jeffmullinix7916]

That s a lot for me to remember . If people was like me . The Army should start training these pilots at the age of 1years of age .

[@JackieontheTrunk]

Arthur Kennedy and James Seay starred in this part 2.

[@tomdrew1297]

Did the actor Arthur Kennedy really know how to fly a B-17

[@johnshields6852]

WW2 had a massive effect on the economy and the psyche of the nation, people pulled together like no other time in history of America, it's the effect of being under threat that pulled the nation together, old men to little kids collecting metal towards the war effort, wars horrible but it bolstered the economy like no other time.

[@mariajoseuseromatute515]

Anyone know the name of the actor playing the instructor?

[@billakers6082]

Isn't the flight instructor a famous actor?

[@av8bvma513]

Does Patreon support allow viewing the films without the timecode?

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Here's the issue: Tens of thousands of films similar to this one have been lost forever -- destroyed -- and many others are at risk. Our company preserves these precious bits of history one film at a time. How do we afford to do that? By selling them as stock footage to documentary filmmakers and broadcasters. If we did not have a counter, we could not afford to post films like these online, and no films would be preserved. It's that simple. So we ask you to bear with the watermark and timecodes. In the past we tried many different systems including placing our timer at the bottom corner of our videos. What happened? Unscrupulous KZbin users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content! We had to use content control to have the videos removed and shut down these channels. It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery -- and not what we devoted ourselves to do.

[@carlhicksjr8401]

So, ball turret, two gun tail turret, no nose guns at all, B17 C or D?

[@knightwatchman]

More like an E or an F.

[@carlhicksjr8401]

@@knightwatchman Huh. I always thought the E and F models began to include the 'cheek' MGs before the G model got the chin turret. Obviously, I don't know that for sure, of course.

[@knightwatchman]

@@carlhicksjr8401 I tried comparing the plane in the video to the one's listed here, "List of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress variants". The E and F models looked the most similar.

[@frydemwingz]

they keep saying 91 octane. Does this use regular old gasoline? lol I never even thought of that. Fuel for jets is like a modified kerosene, not 91 octane gasoline.

[@tonyelliott7734]

These aircraft have piston engines. They use gasoline. 👍

[@steveb6103]

91 octane was used for all training. Saving the 100 octane for combat missions.

[@CaptHollister]

Jet fuel is for jets and turboprops. By the end WW2 there were a handful of jet types in service, everything else used piston engines running gasoline.

[@seaotter52]

@@braininavatnow9197 Actually Steve is correct. There was ~10% reduced power output by the engines using 91oct fuel. The Germans used 87 oct gas and as a result, their engines were unable to produce as much power as Allied engines of equivalent displacement. The decision to use 100 oct gas was spearheaded by Doolittle and others in the 1920s and 30s and paid big dividends during the war. A judicious control of fuel mixture, manifold pressure, rpm is what prevents engine problems. CFII and retired airline mechanic. Edit. Too high of octane for an engine can also cause trouble if not handled correctly.

[@seaotter52]

@@steveb6103 Well stated. The extra power from the higher octane was a crucial factor in war with the Germans using 87 oct. and always at a power loss viz a viz Allied engines.

[@danieljohnson9351]

After the loss of Nine O' Nine and Texas Raiders I wonder how many B-17s remain in flying condition.

[@ottohesslein3230]

The Col is the Sheriff on Fury.

[@dale5898]

That was Joseph P Kennedy there was no Arthur Kennedy in that particular family.

[@KennyG_420]

If he didn’t close the window, could he still taken off?

[@lwilton]

Yes, but you would likely get a lot of filth in the cabin (and your face) from the dirt the props kicked up on a dirt runway. It would also be a bunch louder in the cabin, making it hard to communicate. But you could open the windows in flight. That was how to pilot and copilot bailed out of a ship when it was going down.

[@KennyG_420]

@@lwilton oh ok. I didn’t know that. Thanks for that answer.

[@Aboard_and_Abroad]

nowadays flyboys be like "alexa, land the f35"

[@ChipNRat]

7:50 "in takeoff emergencies the bare belly is better than wheels" - that's not something you here every day, honestly.

[@CR-zx2zi]

Is the "right on time" lady okay?

[@spikespa5208]

*?*

[@mariekatherine5238]

She gives the fellows and the plane the motherly touch!

[@ds3930]

Good lord, imagine keeping up with all that while your getting shot at.

[@notkimjong-un3019]

Hmm intwesting

[@S2Sturges]

Gotta realise too, the guys flying these were barely out of their teens....

[@RubyBandUSA]

B-17. The Mighty Eighth. Jimmy Doolittle. Schweinfurt.

[@davidb2206]

Total respect for these guys, but they were sent to fight the "wrong enemy," as General Patton said. Flight school was the hardest thing I ever did, much harder than college. Physically and mentally taxing.

[@baroqueroll4662]

Lt. Chales "Charlie" Brown, B17 Commander Oberleutnant Franz Stigler, Luftwaffe pilot True story over Germany Sky.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Yes ... think I read that book too!

[@para1324]

A Higher Calling.

[@orangejjay]

I don't know why but I'm more amused that they're talking about performance on 91 fuel, turbochargers, and wastegates.

[@markraciborski4289]

Anyone else wondering how a bumble bee gets off the ground?

[@markraciborski4289]

"Should I write these rules in my palm pilot or crochet them on pillows?"

[@sabeillard]

I would say instructor has an iPad on his hands... 😁

[@sadams12345678]

NO, has a LAMINATED CARD in his had.

[@manontherails4937]

My old neighbor's father flew the B-17 and other aircraft. He ferried planes from Downey, CA to Enid, OK. in '42, flew the 'Hump'. Not sure what war; WWII or the Korean War, but he flew the P-38 out of Palm Springs, CA, I think as a Flight Instructor. After his passing, his son fondly and endearingly mocked his father's repeating: "Emergency Procedures".

[@Playsinvain]

I have watched this, but I still don’t feel I’m ready to be honest.

[@robertcushman7002]

this is when flying was flying! none of this fly by wire nonsense! all due respect to today's pilots, but can you do this? never become too complacent..... cheers 🍾🍾🛩🏳️‍🌈

[@elderbob100]

Better than flying an F-35, where fly by wire means asking the software for permission to land.

[@craigwheeler3837]

In my head this is being narrated by Monty Python

[@orangejjay]

WARNING. DANGER TO MANIFOLD.

[@Beemer917]

Ah, no. Actually I wanted to know about fighter pilot training, not bomb truck training. If it comes down to that, I'd rather become a florist.

[@MrTaylorTexas]

Great except for the stupid counter on the screen.

[@stargazer5784]

That 'stupid counter' is part of why you can watch this for free.

[@jewyjewjew7264]

Guys in Dallas should of seen this first 💁

[@danieljohnson9351]

It wouldn't have done any good. There is no mention of what to do if a P-63 slices through your fuselage.