Mason Overby

UWRT 1104 Cover Page

What went well during this draft is the ideas and flow were in no short supply. This is a

topic that is very close to me and one of the best moments of my life. It was easy once I got

started and the topics I wanted to cover were clear. The hardest part was making sure my points

flowed and sounded the best they could. I really wanted to do this memory justice and make it

sound nice. One passage I definitely want to keep was the passage about Mr. Ed Barrier. He was

an inspiration to me and his memory is very dear to me because, unfortunately it's all I have. He

is part of the reason I took that flight in the first place. I also believe it adds an extra personal

touch to the narrative. Most people I feel could not relate to my excitement of flying on the B-17,

but knowing about the deeper connection I had gives the reader something to relate to and

empathize with. Honestly I cannot pick out a passage I want to revise….at the moment. I really

like the way I worded everything and it is written in the style of my talking. I might make some

tweaks here and there. Fixing grammar and changing words around but not a whole passage. I

tried to make it as entertaining as possible because I know a lot of people are not excited about

airplanes as I am. A question I have about this draft is: did I get properly convey my experience

on the B-17? In other words is there something missing that you want to know?
Mason Overby

UWRT 1104

Nicole Kaufman

20 February 2019

Literacy In Aviation

It was a cool and sunny day back in 2010 when I had my very unique and very first flight.

My Grandfather and I were going to the Concord regional airport where the B-17 bomber

“Aluminum Overcast” was going to be in town giving people a chance to ride in it. I was 10 at

the time of the flight, but airplanes and history had always fascinated me, especially WWII. This

was a dream come true. The B-17 is gorgeous and powerful aircraft that has been near and dear

to my heart for a long time. Not only was it the planes historical value that I fell in love with, but

also I had a friend who actually flew the B-17 back in WWII. Ed Barrier had been a member of

my church for a long time, but due to his age he was not able to attend as regularly and yet I

would make time to go hear his war stories. I asked him questions about the war and his

experience, to say the least, his stories inspired me to want to fly and defend our nation. An

inspiration I still hold onto this day.

And now this was my chance to fly in one like he did. And there it sat on the tarmac

waiting to be boarded, waiting for me…. and the others who bought tickets but this was my

moment. The sun made the metal glisten and the roar of its engines were intimidating even

though it sat idle. We climbed into the side and I sat in the middle of the aircraft. The other
engines fired up and we were rolling to the runway. This was my first time flying so I did not

know exactly what to expect and I was flying on a 67 year old aircraft, but this aircraft fought

Nazis and gave us the upper hand in WWII so I had complete faith in it. We lifted off and then

after a time were “free to move about the cabin”. This was amazing to walk around the aircraft in

flight. Now it should be noted that the B-17 had two side guns in the fuselage and the windows

where the guns were mounted were not enclosed. “This was awesome” I thought and “maybe I

should stick my head out like a dog” but at almost 200 mph this was not a good idea.

This was not all the flight experience had to offer, the cockpit was not sectioned off like in

modern aircraft so once you squeezed your way through the bomb bay you were basically in the

cockpit. “Wow” was all my 10 year old brain could muster to describe this once in a lifetime

opportunity. Seeing the pilots with all their instruments and controls in action blew me away. I

envied the pilots so much. I can not describe how badly I wanted to be in their position, and fly

B-17 as a job or just fly in general. Then, it got better. I climbed down below to the nose of the

aircraft. This is where the navigator and bombardier sat in flight, if we were in combat of course.

This was the highlight of the whole experience because the nose of the aircraft is entirely made

up of plexiglass, in the shape of a bubble. We must have been over Lake Norman or some other

body of water because when I looked down I saw water and trees all around. I had a completely

unobstructed view of what was in front, above, and below us, at a couple thousand feet. The

B-17 is not a pressurized aircraft meaning that we are limited to how high we could fly, so the

ground below was only a couple thousand feet away. The view, to say the least, was

breathtaking. It was like using Google Earth to look at your neighborhood. To see all the houses

and cars in such clarity was an amazing experience. If it was not for the deafening noise of the
engines one could forget they were in an aircraft and pretend they were flying. A truly surreal

experience. However, we had a limited time frame so I climbed back up and let someone else get

down and see for themselves.

I explored the aircraft some more and looked out the windows to really take in all of the

view. No commercial aircraft has windows this big and you certainly are not able to walk around

and look out of different windows. Also, because the aircraft had its machine guns (deactivated

of course) I pretended to shoot down the Luftwaffe like it was 1944. This dream come true

would have to end at sometime and we began our turn back to the airport, even though I wished

it would not end. We were seated once again and prepared for, what I can remember, the

smoothest landing I ever experienced. Once we were parked we disembarked and with a huge

smile on my face and I joined my parents to tell them what it was like. However, words could

never do this once in a lifetime opportunity justice. Nothing could come close to the experience I

had flying on a B-17.

I believe this experience had a great effect on me, and what I wanted to do when I got

older. The flight on the B-17 cemented my desire to fly and fight. As mentioned earlier, I have

always been very interested in aviation and war. I knew I wanted to serve my country somehow,

so, I combined both of those passions and decided to join the United States Air Force. However

to be a pilot you have to be an officer. There are different ways one can go about to accomplish

this, but the path that worked the best for me was to join ROTC in college and be commissioned

upon graduation. As one can imagine, joining the military is no easy task and being in ROTC is

no different. However, when there are those days when I wonder why I am outside doing PT at 6
am in 30 degree weather about to work out, I look back on the experience I have had. The impact

of the B-17 flight and knowing Mr. Ed Barrier I remember why I am here and remember the

amazing career that lies ahead.