A lot of old veterans love to take tour rides in old vintage B-17 bombers, but I doubt many of them have the experience of a fighter pilot and a test pilot flying supersonic planes in the golden age of flight test.

Harry Schmitt was a guy who had done it all.  He had flown in the U.S. Air Force as a fighter pilot in the Korean War, flying F-94 Starfires in missions to intercept B-29 bombers that were returning from missions – just on the off chance that they may be one of the copies that the Soviets had produced to try and infiltrate into our territory!

The squadron he had served was under the command of Major Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr., one of the Tuskegee airman and the first African-American to become a four-star general in the Air Force.

After the war, Schmitt left the Air Force and joined Pratt & Whitney as an engineering test pilot, flying the “century series” of fighters: the F-100, F-101, F-102, and the F-105. But he thought that the coolest tests he got to be involved with were on B-17’s, which had Pratt & Whitney engines.

These were “engine re-light” tests. Taking the plane up to 35,000 ft., shutting it down, letting it sit until it got cold, and then try to start it back up again…just to see if they could do it!

After five years of this kind of excitement, Schmitt decided to leave. His parents weren’t happy about the risks he was taking every day of his life and he wanted them to be happy. He settled down and started a consulting business.

But he never lost his love of flying, and took to the skies just last Saturday in a B-17 cockpit from Brainard Airport to Sikorsky Airport in Connecticut. “A jet fighter is so soft on the controls, you can fly it with your fingertips,” said Schmitt. “With a B-17, it’s like flying a Mack truck. It’s heavy. You’ve got to use all your strength to do anything with a B-17, but it’s fun!”

We salute you, Mr. Harry Schmitt!

By the way, what do you think? What’s your favorite “B” Bomber airplane? B-17, B-24, B-52, B-1, or any others and why?