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Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website Produced by Boeing Aircraft Company, this restricted, black and white training film from the WWII era is titled “How to fly the B-17 Part II: Flight Operations”. It was produced in conjunction with airplane manufacturer Boeing, and was officially identified as Army Air Forces Training Film TF1-3394. As the title suggests, the film sought to provide USAAF pilot trainees with general familiarization with flight operations of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. This is part 2 of a series of films, with the first film likely focusing on pre-flight ground checks of the aircraft. Notably, the film appears to have been shot at a desert runway, possibly Muroc AAF Base or a similar location. Opening credits (0:10). Foreword (0:34). Executive officer at the B-17 wing headquarters addresses the camera (1:08). Boeing B-17 flying fortress in flight (1:32). Pilot walks students through the operation of the plane beginning in the cockpit (1:47). Control panel including the marker beacon (2:04). Safety check for the run-up and imminent take off (2:26), with pilot shown adjusting throttles (3:42). RPM gauges move as the engines are rev'd (3:58). Close up on Manifold Pressure gauge, which measures the air pressure within the inlet manifold (4:51) of the constant speed propeller. Pilot sets the gyrocompass (6:29). Take-off of B-17 (7:40). How to operate the aircraft at cruising altitude (11:42). Dashboard displaying power settings used in normal cruising altitudes (12:34). Explanation of a three-point take off using animation, probably created by Paul Peroff or Ted Eshbaugh. (Eshbaugh was a talented cartoon director who made perhaps half a dozen excellent cartoons for various studios). (13:12-17:40). Teacher runs pilots through different hypothetical situations (18:01). Landing instructions (20:31). Control tower reports the altimeter setting (20:36). Landing check-list (21:09). Powering down the aircraft (26:35). Executive officer at the B-17 Wing Headquarters addresses the camera with closing words (28:26). Postscript (28:56). The Boeing B-17 is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). It was primarily employed by the USAAF in the daylight strategic bombing campaign of World War II against German industrial, military and civilian targets. The United States Eighth Air Force, based at many airfields in central, eastern and southern England, and the Fifteenth Air Force, based in Italy, complemented the RAF Bomber Command’s night-time area bombing in the Combined Bomber Offensive to help secure air superiority over the cities, factories and battlefields of Western Europe in preparation for the invasion of France in 1944. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
