B-17G ‘Texas Raiders’ – Jim Weaver Playing With Airplanes Again

Like I said in the article yesterday, this is "the plane that started my love for aviation." I do mean that literally, this is THE plane that I flew in 30 years ago next month at the Wings Over Houston Press Show in 1986. The Press Show is the mini show they put on for members of the press several days before the public show. 

Thus began my love for aviation and especially my love for vintage aircraft. Since that first flight, I returned several years in a row to the Wings Over Houston airshow in which I got to fly in a Stearman Biplane, an T-6 Texan twice, and the B-17 "Texas Raiders" another time. In later years I have also flown in a WWII era B-24 Liberator, and thanks to my wonder wife, an hours worth of aerobatic time in a North American T-6 Texan. That's right, me at the stick doing loops and rolls and such! Truly that was one of the best days of my entire life to date.

So you can imagine that anytime I get the chance to crawl around in one of these flying history lessons, I take it. That's exactly what Lisa and I did Tuesday morning after we got off the air.

Funny story, if you look closely at the picture of us taken in the waist gunner port of plane, you'll notice what looks like a small dent in Lisa's noggin, right up by the hairline. That's where she was christened by the airplane for her first visit. While I didn't bump my head this time, I sure did the first time I got the tour.

Our thanks to the "Texas Raiders" volunteer crew that joined us on the air Tuesday, Howard Quoyeser, "Laser" Dave McConkey and Nancy Kwiecien. We had a great time and look forward to seeing you all again next time.

Texas Raiders will be in Dallas at the very first Wings Over Dallas airshow on the last weekend of October. If you have never seen the Tora, Tora, Tora Pearl Harbor reenactment, it's amazing.

Visit their website at B17TexasRaiders.org. Enjoy the pictures below.