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TOP STORY OF THE DAY Brought to you FREE by WICU: BUCKET LIST: “I’m glad I did it!”
Most of us have things we have always dreamed of doing or hope to experience in our lifetimes, a “mental bucket list.” A local woman recently checked an item off her list at Terre Haute Regional Airport.
“I used to watch the ‘12 O’Clock High’ television series when I was a kid. I always wanted to ride in a bomber plane from World War II to see what it was like,” said Sherry Ray, 70, a retired 30-year Air Force veteran. “My dad served and earned two bronze stars in the 5th Army on the beachhead at Anzio in Italy during World War II, but didn’t talk much about it. I’ve always been curious about the history of WWII.”
On Sunday, Sept. 27, Ray arrived at the airport early for the B-29 “DOC” Flight Experience Tour hosted by Hoosier Aviation. (The plane is named after Disney’s 1937 cartoon classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”
The tour allows people to experience a piece of history, hear and see the sights and sounds, and the plane’s engine’s rumble before takeoff. Once at 8,000 feet, Ray joined with the rest of the flight crew to sit in the seats where Air Force veterans once sat as they fought in World War II and Korea.
“I plan on looking down the bomb site,” said Ray, who was listed as the bombardier on her flight. “I never dreamed I would be able to fly in a real bomber when I was a kid. It’s not a B-17, like the flying fortress ‘Memphis Belle,’ but it’s a Superfortress.”
Low lying clouds delayed the early morning flight plan. By noon the sky was clear for takeoff.
Of the 3,970 B29s built, 26 survive in the complete form today, 24 of which reside in the United States, and two are airworthy, including DOC.
One of the most technologically advanced airplanes of World War II, the B-29 had many new features, including guns fired by remote control. Two crew areas, fore, and aft were pressurized and connected by a long tube over the bomb bays, allowing crew members to crawl between them during up to 15-hour flights. The tail gunner had a separate pressurized area that could only be entered or left at altitudes that did not require pressurization.
B-29s were primarily used in the Pacific theater during World War II, two of the most famous being “Enola Gay” and “Bockscar,” that dropped atomic bombs on Japan. The B-29 saw military service again in Korea 1950-1953, battling jet fighters and electronic weapons. The last B-29 in squadron use retired from service in September 1960.
One of the plane’s best views during the flight was seeing the shadow of “DOC” on the ground below as the flight plan toured the skies above the Wabash Valley.
Ray admitted it was a bumpy ride, but worth every minute.
“It was awesome,” said Ray, who wanted to understand what it was like for the airmen in the bombers during WWII. “Of course there weren’t any bullets flying around, or bombs to drop, but it lets you feel a little bit, something of what it was like for them, what they felt.”
Ray’s had a life filled with exciting challenges in the military, and the adventures have continued during her retirement. She’s traveled; been to Australia to see the outback, took a trip or two around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in an Indy race car, been on a retreat to see wolves and experience grizzly bears with their cubs up close in the wilderness, and planned to see polar bears this year until the COVID-19 pandemic canceled her plans in March.
“I didn’t know I wanted to do this until I read about it in the paper,” said Ray about the unique experience. “I am so glad I did it.”
