Pilots fly pieces of World War II history at Chicago Executive Airport
Mac McCauley has piloted more takeoffs and landings in a B-17 Flying Fortress than any other B-17 pilot.
With thousands of hours under his wings, he says flying the World War II bomber requires more work than a modern plane.
"This thing, you actually have to fly it," McCauley said as he cleaned off the plane after landing at Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling Friday. "There's no buttons to push."
McCauley's been around planes for most of his life.
"I started out from a very young age flying old round-engine airplanes, old-time airplanes" McCauley said.
Now, he is in his 17th year of flying the B-17 with the Collings Foundation. The foundation has four World War II planes visiting the Chicago Executive Airport for their annual display.
The B-17, a B-24, B-25 and a P-51 will be stationed at the airport until Sunday, Aug. 2, and patrons can view the planes on the tarmac or take 30-60 minute flights.
The B-17 McCauley flies, Nine-O-Nine, is named after the plane with the same name that was assigned to combat in 1944. The original Nine-O-Nine completed 140 missions without losing a crew member.
Although 12,731 B-17s were made during the war, it is estimated that only six are still in flight. With a wingspan of nearly 104 feet, and a length of just under 75 feet, the plane can hold a crew of 10.
But most of the seats are on the floor of the plane, with a lap buckle to hold passengers in place. Passengers can hear the landing gear as it raises up after take off and lowers before landing.
"These are really flying time capsules. They're very accurately restored; it's like going back in time 70 years," the B-17 co-pilot Ray Martin said. "You're looking at what the technology was at the time when war broke out and during the war."
He says keeping the planes flying is a tribute to those who built and manned the planes during the war.
McCauley agrees.
"I get the biggest kick out of meeting the actual people who flew in the war," he said.
While the plane is in flight, McCauley sits in the cockpit's left seat, and Martin on the right. A flight engineer stands behind them.
Martin says it's a team effort from before takeoff to landing.
"Everybody's backing up the pilot," Martin said. "The flight engineer's doing the same thing, looking out for other airplanes, monitoring the airplane's systems. The pilot's backing me up and I'm backing him up."
The pilot steers the plane while the co-pilot takes care of the landing gear, makes radio calls, sets the power for takeoff and landing, and runs through checklists.
If done right, even a ride on a windy day can appear to be a smooth operation.
The old planes require plenty of maintenance, so the Collings Foundation brings three mechanics along on the 10-month tour to 110 cities around the country.
"For every hour of flight, about three or four hours of maintenance," mechanic Robert Wyatt said.
Wyatt, like the pilots, isn't new to working with older modes of transportation.
"Growing up, I worked on old cars. That translates pretty good to old planes," he said. "The older planes are a lot more simple and easier to work on."
McCauley says in the end, letting people see a piece of history is what keeps him coming back.
"The airplanes need to be run around and taken care of," McCauley said. "It's a great honor, really."
For details on the Collings Foundation's display, visit collingsfoundation.org/event/chicago-il.