Google Earth

Good grief,what a wonderful story

Sadly AFAIK it is just a story
Have a look at the WIX discussion for info on who really flew it
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1703&highlight=lacey

Good grief,what a wonderful story

Milwaukie, Oregon – only in America can you beat a B-17 into a gas station.

Shortly after WWII a guy named Art Lacey (he had a British wife) went to Kansas to buy a surplus B-17. His idea was to fly it back to Oregon, jack it up in the air and make a gas station out of it. He paid $15,000 for it. He asked which one was his and they said take whichever you want because there were miles of them. He didn’t know how to fly a 4 engine airplane so he read the manual while he taxied around by himself. They said he couldn’t take off alone so he put a mannequin in the co-pilot’s seat and off he went.

He flew around a bit to get the feel of it and when he went to land he realized he needed a co-pilot to lower the landing gear. He crashed and totaled his plane and another on the ground. They wrote them both off as “wind damaged” and told him to pick out another. He talked a friend into being his co-pilot and off they went.

They flew to Palm Springs where Lacey wrote a hot check for gas then they headed for Oregon. They hit a snow storm and couldn’t find their way so they went down below 1,000 feet and followed the railroad tracks. His partner sat in the nose section and would yell, “TUNNEL” when he saw one and Lacey would climb over the mountain.

They landed safely, he made good the hot check he wrote, and they started getting permits to move a B-17 on the state highway. The highway department repeatedly denied his permit and fought him tooth and nail for a long time so late one Saturday night he just moved it himself. He got a $10 ticket from the police for having too wide a load.

It was on the google website, funny story I think! not many characters like this around anymore.

Interesting. I have tried it with cameras mounted on radio models but with very limited sucsess. Have you any experiance on doing it that way?

Ollie, full size aircraft,although I have seen good results from many types of aerial platform ,some companies even use telescopic masts for lower work.
I would not do that because like all who read this forum I have a love of flying !

It is an interesting, challenging occupation with many skills needed to produce what the client has asked for.And I have to contend with the wonderful “all seasons in a day” Scottish weather !!

As well as the high alt verticals,google are also linking to obliques taken by people like myself who are full time aerial photographers and also any aerial views shown on websites which like. They can do this without permission because its just a link.I do not mind as it will bring more visitors to my site.

When my new website is finished in the Spring I will be linking my images to google, including my historic aircraft plus aerial views of aviation loations in North Scotland.
www.scotaviaimages.co.uk

Just out of interest what do you use for your ariel photography? Do you work from a full sized plane or a radio model?

google earth

As well as the high alt verticals,google are also linking to obliques taken by people like myself who are full time aerial photographers and also any aerial views shown on websites which like. They can do this without permission because its just a link.I do not mind as it will bring more visitors to my site.

When my new website is finished in the Spring I will be linking my images to google, including my historic aircraft plus aerial views of aviation loations in North Scotland.
www.scotaviaimages.co.uk

Thats a great pic, please tell me more about ‘micro$oft thingie’ , how much of the planet does it cover ? where can you get it & does it cost $$$$$$

I found it here:
http://local.live.com
Theres a road option, aerial & birdseye. That pic came from the birdseye option. Found 7 SR71’s at the local airfield using it, including the white one 🙂

Why has it got its front section missing?

http://www.taphilo.com/photo/pictures/lacey-lady.jpg

Ive read the story that goes with it. Very funny! Those were the days eh!

IIRC it was taken of before it fell off , the poor old girl is very corroded apparently.

Who’s story have you read ? the owners/family or the real story 😉

I can go one better…. heres a picture of me stood between my F350 pick up & my open garage door…. Silver car is the ex wifes Corolla…

This is using the “birdseye” option on the Micro$oft thingie

Thats a great pic, please tell me more about ‘micro$oft thingie’ , how much of the planet does it cover ? where can you get it & does it cost $$$$$$

Being restored bit by bit, IIRC. Can anyone else add to this?

Adrian

If you go to page 9, you’ll see Art Lacey’s B17 gas station. Still got the nose off, then…

Adrian

Why has it got its front section missing?

http://www.taphilo.com/photo/pictures/lacey-lady.jpg

Ive read the story that goes with it. Very funny! Those were the days eh!

Thats cool.

I can go one better…. heres a picture of me stood between my F350 pick up & my open garage door…. Silver car is the ex wifes Corolla… This is using the “birdseye” option on the Micro$oft thingie

If you go to page 9, you’ll see Art Lacey’s B17 gas station. Still got the nose off, then…

Adrian

Yup, the mid-upper turret gunner reported a ‘bogie’ ’12 O’Clock HIGH 😀

Yes i had seen this. Someone sent me a screen shot of it,

Yup.

is that a moon buggy up on bricks i can see, someone has nicked the wheels

nah – it’s not in Liverpool – it’s in a giant warehouse in greater Los Angeles :diablo:

is that a moon buggy up on bricks i can see, someone has nicked the wheels

Thats not the moon… thats…… Liverpool

(Ducks for cover)