As I understand it, the blades are left in Y position when the aircraft is inactive, and the blades are then left in the upward-Y pattern when the prop has been pulled through prior to starting.

It will be up to individual crews if not a manufacturers requirement, but when not in use, old props are generally left in the Y position so that with prolongued periods of rest, water cannot accuumulate in the root of an individual blade and so potentially aid accelerated corrosion.
I think you’ll find that when pulled through, the inverted Y does indeed show that they have been pulled through, but it’s more the case that that’s where they end up because it would involve further effort to pull them round to the static Y position again, and who wants to keep expending effort when they don’t need to?

A few arrivals from a wet Fairford.

Ah I saw this flying over Omaha Beach on about the 3rd or 4th June (last month).

Damn, damn, damn.

My aircraft is based there and I can’t go. Have to be in Yorkshire for work.

Grrrrr!

On the basis that this could be a ‘one off’, could you not swing it or get it changed so that you can go. Even better still throw a ‘sicky’.

Oh by the way I just noticed that you have 445rd BG in your location detail.
Now knowing how particular a man you are with regards these little details, should it not read 445th BG? 😉

Love the B-17 Sally B pic.

How about this one….

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/B-17_Damage_Cologne.jpg

Ahh yes, the 398th Machine piloted by Larry De-Lancy and Phil Stahllman. hit by an 88 over Cologne in the October of 1944 IIRC?
I also believe that the Bomb Aimer was killed and the Nav was seriously wounded. I’ll have to check my info now for accuracy.

The video clip was taken from the 92BG’s The Doc Furniss War colour film. The shell appears to have exploded right in the middle of the Bomb Bay.
Not quite sure about the quote of the fire with the hydraulic system along the Bomb Bay catwalk as there is very little of it in the aeroplane in first place and what there is of it is located in the cockpit and is sent out to the brakes and engine cowl gills from there.
I don’t think it enters the Bomb Bay and I am pretty sure is not on the catwalk or anywhere near it. It is a very small quantity, just a few litres.

If it had said fuel, now that is a very strong possibility, as the tank cross feeds are right at the front end of the catwalk along with the transfer pump.

and another two which they thought they could repair themselves

How on earth could that possibly happen?
I’ve never seen an engine repair itself, ever!

Engine life was thought to be the limiting factor for the future operation of 558.

It always was right from the begining.
IIRC it started as a 15 year flying programme, which when they lost the first engine in the first year effectively halved that programme.
I remember speaking to a certain member of the crew just after the first engine was swapped out where I asked him how they were going to achieve the 15 year programme now to which the reply came back “I dunno, how do we eek 8 engines out of 7”?

Unless someone can come up with a way of certifying and reusing some old engines elsewhere I guess we’d better make sure we enjoy the old girl while we can.

Exactly.

Looking for an answer – would it be possible to modify her to use an alternative, more readily available engine or would that cost more than then £M’s to make a new one of her originals?

I believe this would be more prohibitive than prohibitive, certainly form a cost point of view. But ensuring that items such as silica gel bag removal prior to engine startup is a much cheaper and simpler alternative to start with.

Typical, Where was the waste and environmental management? What a joke! 😡
All the Sh1t that we have to adhere to here and the non-uk europeans under ‘stringent’ EU directives, just smash it to bits and let whatever is in it come out and spill everywhere.
It really does cheese me off. 😡
If anyone did that so publicly here in the UK, they would be for the high jump, but not onto a crash mat.