A little perspective of "just when you think YOUR day was bad" ..........

These two pics are of a B-17 that was hit by anti aircraft fire while on a bombing run over Germany. The plane actually made it back to it's airbase, although it appears the nosegunner perhaps wasn't so fortunate.

If all we have to worry about is things regarding our model planes, I'd say we're pretty freakin lucky indeed........





"After literally losing the nose of his B-17 Flying Fortress as the result of a direct hit by flak over Cologne, Germany on October 15, 1944, 1st Lt. Lawrence M. deLancey, 25, of Corvallis, Oregon returned to England and landed the crew safely at his home base. Lt. deLancey explained, 'A flak burst hit directly in the nose and blew practically the entire nose section to threads. What little there was left in front of me looked like a scrap heap. The wind was rushing through. Our feet were exposed to the open air at nearly 30,000 feet above the ground the temperature was unbearable.' Although the plane was off balance without any nose section, without any brakes (there was no hydraulic pressure left), and with obstructed vision, Lt. deLancey made a beautiful landing to the complete amazement of all personnel at this field who still are wondering how the feat was accomplished."