Nice to see her all restored and looking good. When i was a kid in Memphis, she was the Army Depot, and the locals used to play on it, of course it was covered in bird mess, and all the instruments were long gone. All her plexiglass was fogged. She was looking like a candidate for the scrape heap. Thanks for sharing this.
I stopped several times in Memphis to see the Belle when she sat on those concrete stands at the TN Natl. Guard base. I was restoring a WWII halftrack. This endeavor took me to Southern Parts Corps on 7th St. - World's largest supplier of halftrack parts. Long gone now. That was decades ago. I followed the Belle's travails over the years. From Mud Island to Wright Patterson Field in Ohio. During a MVPA convention in Dayton we toured the Belle's in progress restoration. Another time we were on our way to the big D-day re-enactment in Conneaut, OH. Spent the entire day there, opening to closing at the US Air Force Museum, where I was greatly impressed to see how the Belle is now being honored. Thank goodness that the City if Memphis bought her after the war thus saving her from the scrap pile. And thanks to TCM for that night of documentaries on the Belle!
I was going through a B-17F on a tour and there was a former WWll B-17 crewman giving a talk about his experience in the planes in the war, and I thought it was part of the tour, but he was just there talking to his grandson about his experiences in the war. His comment about the ammo was upon receiving their B-17's his crew doubled the amount ammo they carried, authorized or not. When he was done talking he got up and gathered his family and exited the plane. I felt extremely lucky to get to hear his story!
Fly on the wall type of experience. Dad was a ball turret gunner. The good old boys aren't there anymore to overhear at airshows now. I was privy to something very similar.
An American military tradition is to “acquire” or Strategically Transfer Equipment to Alternate Location machine guns at a prodigious rate during combat
I used to think as a kid it would be cool to be an airman but from what I know now stick me on the ground with a bren gun . These guys had nerves of steel hats of to all bomber crews .
Couldn’t agree more, as a kid I had the exact same mindset. However I don’t think I would’ve wanted to have been a Bren gun man either. I think I would’ve preferred to have been a mechanic or something, in the rear with the gear! Lol
Awesome video. Stuff like this is why I don't bother with cable. I'm just glad it's not owned by the Commemorative Air Force, because they have a awesome track record on crashing down history.
Thankyou for watching! Thanks for the kind words. We try to stick to the point of history and machines, no agenda. Unfortunately we small youtubers cannot control that Ads haha
Absolutely! Probably the biggest honor ill ever have in my life. It did not come easy! But thanks to their staff, a can do attitude from everyone involved and aligning passions to tell Belles story, we achieved this. Thankyou for watching and supporting the channel.
Pretty cool. I wish they had been more authentic rather than dramatic and displayed one 50 cal on the left and stuffed a rag into the hole on the right. That would have been a really cool detail.
I live in Dayton and toured the Belle about 10 years ago while it was in pieces and in restoration. My understanding from talking to restorers back then was the museum had to decide on a specific snapshot in time to restore the plane because it was in so many different configurations including post-war promo tours. A lot of it depended on how much intel and photos and drawings they could glean at any one specific point. Once they decided on a moment in time they tried to stick to that and make sure the Belle was representative of that finite moment or short period and not a generic amalgam of many iterations over the course of its life. Some of those decisions may have gone into why they did or did not ultimately display the plane in certain configurations. What you see at the museum is more or less precisely how the plane would have looked as a complete product during one of those snapshots.
Just checking in. With all due respect, are we gonna see you guys restoring tanks again with videos of that type coming within the next year or so? I remember you guys saying you had big plans a while back reworking and doing different projects on the channel. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Thankyou for checking in, the answer is both yes and no. Unfortunately Battlefield grew so big we could no longer maintain the pace with our restorations. We do have some special projects in the pipeline we are covering however it is slow process. We had to branch out and diversify. The tanks and restoration alone was just not growing the channel. Thankyou for your support and keeping up with us. We do have some Epic projects in the pipeline!
@@MilitaryArmamentsCompany We still use DF for navigation in some circumstances. In addition to aviation radio beacons we can also use commercial radio stations in some circumstances. It used to be more common because AM stations were everywhere and many could be used over very long distances. Now, AM stations are being decommissioned so much car manufacturers are dropping AM radio.
It's only to Static Display and preserved in 1940s condition. It would need an overhaul and modern equipment to fly. We have a video coming next month about that. However the B-17 " Movie Memphis Belle" is flyable and will be back in the air soon.
Is there any talk or movement toward giving letters of reprimanded and UCMJ action, for modifying or destroying government property without authorization. Postmostly of course. Certainly they must be held accountable for destroying government property.
@@glennpetree8554 I have spoken clearly!!!!! That aircrew has cost the government thousands of dollars. How can the government get back what it is owed by the Memphis Bell crew? Maybe Kamala and Waltz need to hear about this and get reparations, if at all possible. Certainly disgraceful!!!
Have you seen the display in person? It is the most impressive aircraft display we have ever seen. If on the ground it would be closed off, you could not see her up close at all.
Bullshit. Hells Angels was the first to do 25 missions, but without the original crew intact. I was over maintenance on her while she was at Mud Island before fed ex screwed everything up.
Nice to see her all restored and looking good. When i was a kid in Memphis, she was the Army Depot, and the locals used to play on it, of course it was covered in bird mess, and all the instruments were long gone. All her plexiglass was fogged. She was looking like a candidate for the scrape heap. Thanks for sharing this.
Very cool, this means at some point seeing that you were part of her story. We have an entire series on the Belle, check out the rest.
I stopped several times in Memphis to see the Belle when she sat on those concrete stands at the TN Natl. Guard base. I was restoring a WWII halftrack. This endeavor took me to Southern Parts Corps on 7th St. - World's largest supplier of halftrack parts. Long gone now. That was decades ago. I followed the Belle's travails over the years. From Mud Island to Wright Patterson Field in Ohio. During a MVPA convention in Dayton we toured the Belle's in progress restoration. Another time we were on our way to the big D-day re-enactment in Conneaut, OH. Spent the entire day there, opening to closing at the US Air Force Museum, where I was greatly impressed to see how the Belle is now being honored. Thank goodness that the City if Memphis bought her after the war thus saving her from the scrap pile. And thanks to TCM for that night of documentaries on the Belle!
I was going through a B-17F on a tour and there was a former WWll B-17 crewman giving a talk about his experience in the planes in the war, and I thought it was part of the tour, but he was just there talking to his grandson about his experiences in the war. His comment about the ammo was upon receiving their B-17's his crew doubled the amount ammo they carried, authorized or not. When he was done talking he got up and gathered his family and exited the plane. I felt extremely lucky to get to hear his story!
Very cool! Thankyou for watching and supporting the channel.
Fly on the wall type of experience. Dad was a ball turret gunner. The good old boys aren't there anymore to overhear at airshows now. I was privy to something very similar.
I saw her sitting in the park in the 70's. Glad to see she has a proper home.
That she Definitely is! Great you got to see her in Memphis.
Callum brought me here! You guys ROCK! :DD
Thanks for Joining! Welcome to the Channel!
Same ! M.A.Co looks cool.
Callum sent me. Awesome channel! Looking forward to watching your stuff.
Welcome to the channel mate! If it's military, you will find it here!
What a BEAUTIFUL piece of equipment!
Glad you appreciate her! Thankyou for watching.
Good to see an Aussie getting such amazing access to a piece of military history
Absolutely! Working to put Australia on the map a little more. We are trying to get G for George Lancaster at the War Memorial but no luck so far.
An American military tradition is to “acquire” or Strategically Transfer Equipment to Alternate Location machine guns at a prodigious rate during combat
to anyone who didnt catch what he said taking the first letter of each word forms steal lol
I used to think as a kid it would be cool to be an airman but from what I know now stick me on the ground with a bren gun . These guys had nerves of steel hats of to all bomber crews .
Absolutely 100 percent agreed, the subject is still very enticing however. There is something magic about flying in that plane.
Couldn’t agree more, as a kid I had the exact same mindset. However I don’t think I would’ve wanted to have been a Bren gun man either. I think I would’ve preferred to have been a mechanic or something, in the rear with the gear! Lol
Awesome video. Stuff like this is why I don't bother with cable. I'm just glad it's not owned by the Commemorative Air Force, because they have a awesome track record on crashing down history.
Thankyou for watching! Thanks for the kind words. We try to stick to the point of history and machines, no agenda. Unfortunately we small youtubers cannot control that Ads haha
The Langford Lodge airfield manufacturing the mods is still in use for the Martin Baker ejection seat company. It has a rocket sledge rail track.
Did not know that! Very cool!
youre so lucky getting to go inside the belle!
Absolutely! Probably the biggest honor ill ever have in my life. It did not come easy! But thanks to their staff, a can do attitude from everyone involved and aligning passions to tell Belles story, we achieved this. Thankyou for watching and supporting the channel.
Great stuff.
Thanks for watching!
Wasn't expecting an Aussie accent here mate 👍😁
Gotta put Australia on the map and show em we can still run and gun! Welcome to the channel mate!
Neato!
Pretty cool. I wish they had been more authentic rather than dramatic and displayed one 50 cal on the left and stuffed a rag into the hole on the right. That would have been a really cool detail.
It's definitely possible, a very easy change to make. Next time we are there we will bring it up.
I live in Dayton and toured the Belle about 10 years ago while it was in pieces and in restoration. My understanding from talking to restorers back then was the museum had to decide on a specific snapshot in time to restore the plane because it was in so many different configurations including post-war promo tours. A lot of it depended on how much intel and photos and drawings they could glean at any one specific point. Once they decided on a moment in time they tried to stick to that and make sure the Belle was representative of that finite moment or short period and not a generic amalgam of many iterations over the course of its life. Some of those decisions may have gone into why they did or did not ultimately display the plane in certain configurations. What you see at the museum is more or less precisely how the plane would have looked as a complete product during one of those snapshots.
Just checking in. With all due respect, are we gonna see you guys restoring tanks again with videos of that type coming within the next year or so? I remember you guys saying you had big plans a while back reworking and doing different projects on the channel. Thanks and keep up the great work!
Thankyou for checking in, the answer is both yes and no. Unfortunately Battlefield grew so big we could no longer maintain the pace with our restorations. We do have some special projects in the pipeline we are covering however it is slow process. We had to branch out and diversify. The tanks and restoration alone was just not growing the channel. Thankyou for your support and keeping up with us. We do have some Epic projects in the pipeline!
RIP Nine O Nine
A DF loop will point in two directions, 180 degrees apart. You had to know which one was the correct one.
Great information thanks for watching!
@@MilitaryArmamentsCompany
We still use DF for navigation in some circumstances. In addition to aviation radio beacons we can also use commercial radio stations in some circumstances. It used to be more common because AM stations were everywhere and many could be used over very long distances. Now, AM stations are being decommissioned so much car manufacturers are dropping AM radio.
@@mike03a3 I used to use my ADF in my C150 to listen to the Tigers games 😅
Hence the term, "On the beam."
Is the Memphis Belle restored to flying condition or static display?
It's only to Static Display and preserved in 1940s condition. It would need an overhaul and modern equipment to fly. We have a video coming next month about that. However the B-17 " Movie Memphis Belle" is flyable and will be back in the air soon.
The M2 ejects downward. The pad protected the plexiglass.
That's a very very good point! Great observation. We will pass along to the team and get their thoughts.
Is there any talk or movement toward giving letters of reprimanded and UCMJ action, for modifying or destroying government property without authorization. Postmostly of course. Certainly they must be held accountable for destroying government property.
What?
You need to learn to spell...post mostly...really?
@@glennpetree8554 I have spoken clearly!!!!! That aircrew has cost the government thousands of dollars. How can the government get back what it is owed by the Memphis Bell crew? Maybe Kamala and Waltz need to hear about this and get reparations, if at all possible. Certainly disgraceful!!!
What does "DINNY" under the forward glass bubble stand for?
Great Question, you will find the answer in this video from earlier: th-cam.com/video/giyZhHiPqF0/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Q9FBxxmnjUFldBE4
I wish they had chosen to display her setting on her landing gear rather than a fake aerial state.
Have you seen the display in person? It is the most impressive aircraft display we have ever seen. If on the ground it would be closed off, you could not see her up close at all.
She's a farce, Hells angels beat the belle to 25 missions.
Also Incorrect. You will find all the facts outlayed in this one: th-cam.com/video/kA-fvVxHbaU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=m-flK7zJVFDdkUc5
Bullshit. Hells Angels was the first to do 25 missions, but without the original crew intact. I was over maintenance on her while she was at Mud Island before fed ex screwed everything up.