The CAA's "Sentimental Journey" was in Logan for an airshow this weekend. It was supposed to fly out today but a failed magneto in engine #2 means an additional day here while a new one is being overnighted in. It'll be on its way tomorrow afternoon.
A friend of mine and I took the opportunity to venture out on the apron for the tour. We've both flown in B-17's before (his dad flew 30 missions during the war) so we're both very familiar with the airframe but I was able to make this observation today: it was over 90° this afternoon. Sentimental Journey is, according to the crew, 900 pounds lighter by being polished aluminum compared to painted B-17s. It was as hot if not hotter than the outside air temperature inside the fuselage and every bit as stifling. Now the humidity at 4200' in the Rockies in July isn't anything like the tropical Pacific but regardless, with only four openings (one nose hatch,, two cockpit windows,, and the aft fuselage hatch) available for ventilation, needless to say we cut our time short in the interest of being to get out under our own power. It felt good to get outside the aircraft into the hot July sun.
This little excursion only drove the point home of how unimaginably hot it must have been to be inside the Electra on the reef at Nikumaroro during the daytime. A solemn reminder of what out illustrious duo had to deal with during the summer of 1937.