B-17 Bomber Pilot's Flight Operating Manual [Paperback]

Periscope Film.com (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1411687256 | ISBN-13: 978-1411687257

The Boeing B-17 was the first mass-produced, four-engine heavy bomber. Used throughout World War II for strategic bombing, the plane earned a reputation for its toughness and versatility. Carrying a crew of ten, and 8,000 pounds of bombs on long ra

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The name "Flying Fortress" was coined by a reporter. Boeing was quick to see the value of the title and had it trademarked. Aviation writer Martin Caidin reported that the B-17 was referred to as the "Queen of the Bombers."

The first use of the B-17 was against Wilhelmshaven on 8 July 1941. The B-17 was known for its ability to take battle damage and still bring its crew home. This was especially apparent in the William Wyler movie "The Memphis Belle" which profiled one of these bombers during its 25th mission over continental Europe.

The design of the B-17 went through eight major changes over the course of its production, culminating in what some consider the definitive type, the B-17G, differing from its immediate predecessors by the addition of a chin turret with two 0.50 calibre (12.7 mm) machine guns under the nose. This eliminated the plane's weakness in head-on attacks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (April 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411687256
• ISBN-13: 978-1411687257
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 11 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #425,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Step right into the cockpit of the "Memphis Belle" !, July 1, 2006

By 

FullFathomFive (Kings Harbor, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: B-17 Bomber Pilot's Flight Operating Manual (Paperback)

Here is one really fascinating read: how to fly the B-17 bomber. You may have read a lot of books about the Queen of the Skies, maybe seen the excellent documentary film and the sort-of-okay Hollywood film, but this book adds a whole new dimension in your understanding of this aircraft. You'll see the whole layout of the plane, including all the gunner's positions, bombardier's position, etc. I never could figure out how the bombardier was situated till I saw this book, really neat! Plus all the information you need to really speak like an expert about this plane. I sometimes work as a docent in Tucson at the Pima Air and Space Museum, and plan to bring this with me to work, as it will really help the staff understand the exact specifications of this amazing aircraft. Truly this is a great thing to have on your shelf if you're a WWII aircraft enthusiast!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Book of Low quality scan, March 22, 2009

By 

Jordan Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: B-17 Bomber Pilot's Flight Operating Manual (Paperback)

This is a book of low quality scans, the words are sometimes blurry due to the jpeg scan they were created in. Some of the first letters of words on the far sides are cut off from the scanned image.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting but sometimes too poor scan quality, April 5, 2010

By 

Menteyne (France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: B-17 Bomber Pilot's Flight Operating Manual (Paperback)

it's great to have a B17 flight manual, but unfortunately, some pages are scanned in such a poor quality that the text is barely readable... also bad that the color was removed on some of the sketches.
Still a must have for aviation enthusiast!