B-17 veterans recall their service

Antipodean Andy · Aug 17, 2008

World War II veterans relive exploits aboard Flying Fortresses Restored B-17 bomber open to public through weekend - EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA - some really nice comments from the guys.

NORTH ANDOVER — World War II veteran Joseph Lovoi, 87, smiled as the B-17 bomber rumbled up the runway at Lawrence Municipal Airport. He eagerly boarded Aluminum Overcast, one of a tiny number of B-17s still flying.

"It's a beautiful airplane. I'd fly in it every day if I could," said Lovoi, an Army Air Forces veteran, former prisoner of war and author.

"When I get on that plane, I'm 22 years old again. When I get off, I'm 87," said Lovoi, of Methuen.

A handful of veterans, who either flew or worked on B-17s — nicknamed the Flying Fortress — or other bombers, stepped back in time yesterday when the Experimental Aviation Association brought Aluminum Overcast to the local airport. Veterans and the media were invited aboard flights yesterday. After takeoff, passengers had a chance to tour the nose, check out the bomb bay and the cockpit, and get a feel for the renowned war machine.

The public can now take ground tours and flights on the B-17 through Sunday.

For many veterans, yesterday was their first glimpse of the bomber in more than 60 years. Yet, boarding the B-17, regarded as one of the best warplanes ever built, was like visiting an old friend.

"I'm just taken back a bit," said former Army Air Forces flight engineer Sam DiNoto, 83, of Methuen. At first, he quietly admired the plane from a distance. Later, he examined the plane extensively, easily recalling all its features after all these years.

As flight engineer, DiNoto was the lead enlisted man aboard the plane, "a flying aircraft mechanic ... I stood between the pilot and copilot. They taught me how to land the plane, in case."

After the war, DiNoto landed a job at Western Electric and raised four children; two boys and two girls. Today, one of his sons is a flight instructor. But other than that, DiNoto never had any other connections with flight during his lifetime.

"Once in a while, I fly a model airplane," he said.

Haverhill veteran John Katsaros, 85, had no problem remembering the last time he flew a B-17.

"March 20, 1944," he said.

That day, Katsaros was piloting a Flying Fortress and returning from bombing a German fighter plane factory. Flying at 25,000 feet, he was shot down over Frankfurt, Germany, captured by the German Gestapo and later rescued by the French underground.

Sworn to secrecy by the military after the war, Katsaros was cleared several years ago to talk about his wartime experiences. He wrote "Code Burgundy: The Long Escape," a book detailing them.

During World War II, B-17s were regarded "as the planes that did all the heavy work. ... The war machine that essentially beat Germany into submission," said Neil Morrison, an EAA pilot who flew Aluminum Overcast yesterday.

Nearly 13,000 of the planes were built. Today, just 14 of them are flying.

"Imagine seeing 500 of these flying together?" said Myron Packard, an EAA member from Haverhill.

Aluminum Overcast, he noted, is in tremendously good shape compared with other war-era B-17 bombers, which were built in no-frills fashion and patched between bombing runs.

Before a flight yesterday, veteran Albert Farrah, a Lawrence native, said seeing the plane "was like something I did a long time ago and forgot about." A former bombardier/navigator in the Army Air Forces, Farrah said high-schoolers should view the plane, which is a great reminder of the freedom we all enjoy in the United States.

The Experimental Aircraft Association brought the B-17 to Lawrence Municipal Airport as part of its 2008 "Salute to Veterans" national tour. For more information on EAA or to join, check out EAA - The Spirit of Aviation - Oshkosh, WI.

About Aluminum Overcast

Aluminum Overcast is the Experimental Aircraft Association's restored B-17 bomber.

The plane is making 60 planned visits across the United States as part of the 2008 "Salute to Veterans" tour.

Originally built in 1945, the plane was delivered to the Army Air Forces too late to see active service in World War II.

After the war, it was sold as surplus for $750 and used for mapping and spraying projects until 1978. In 1981, the plane was donated to the EAA.

The plane spent a year on display in an EAA museum and made its national flying debut in 1994.

The B-17 is considered one of the greatest military airplanes ever built.
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