My first flight was quite memorable in that it ended with a crash landing at a German airbase in Bavaria. In the summer of 1946, I was a 19-year-old “washed out” Army Air Force aviation cadet serving in the “Army of Occupation” in Germany. With the desire to fly still very present in my mind, I wandered over to “Flight Ops” one day and asked to get on a local flight. To my surprise, I was told to climb aboard one of the venerable, war-weary B-17gs parked on the flight line. This flight was to count towards an aircrew flight time accrual. Aircrew needing a minimum number of flight hours and take off/landings to qualify for that coveted 50% flight pay.
We took off and flew a circular route over Landsberg, Munich, and Augsburg, with a “touch and go” back at Lechfeld. I was seated in the Bombardier’s compartment in the nose of the aircraft, which afforded an excellent view of the proceedings. Late in the flight, on our fifteenth touch and go, the aircraft “blew” its left tire, rupturing the left landing strut hydraulics. This immediately caused the left wing to hit the ground and do an abrupt 180-degree “wing around,” coming to rest alongside the runway.
We all scrambled out and reached a safe distance from the aircraft. About 45 minutes later a flight line ambulance screeched to a halt at the crash site and inquired “Anybody hurt?” They provided transportation back to “Flight Ops” for all involved. The old B-17g was declared “Combat Non-serviceable” and retired to the scrap heap. Yes, I still vividly remember my first flight 71 years ago.