Twelve O’ Clock High and Masters of the Air will come to life at Bomber Camp 2023. Hosted by the Stockton Field Aviation Museum, in Stockton, California, on May 4th and 5th, Bomber Camp offers an immersive World War II living history experience enabling participating ‘cadets’ to step back in time to train for a bombing mission and then fly it – for real. Cadets will experience the sights, sounds, and smells which few others have known, and gain a greater appreciation for the men and women of the Greatest Generation.
This year’s Bomber Camp offers an affordable, one-day program. Cadets will attend classes in the morning, have a GI lunch in the mess tent, fly a bombing mission in the afternoon, and then relax in the Officers’ Club after the mission debrief.
Bomber Camp begins with ‘cadet’ induction and orientation, followed by classes in aerial gunnery, bombardier training, navigation, and World War II radio operations. Gunnery class introduces cadets to various weapons systems which U.S. Army Air Forces aircrew would have used, especially the famous Browning 0.50-cal. machine gun. The class also includes instruction in how to operate a variety of U.S. bomber turrets (including the famous Sperry ball turret and Martin 250CE top turrets used in B-17s and B-24s, amongst other types) and flexible machine guns, and how to aim them by leading the target and compensating for range. Cadets will then employ what they have learned during a mission on board the Erickson Aircraft Collection’s Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Ye Ole Pub, where they will drop dummy bombs using the Norden Bomb Sight. Bomber Camp is the only place where you can experience this kind of World War II living history in such an immersive environment.
Opportunities for additional flight training and rides in the AT-6 Texan and P-51 Mustang will also be available.
For more information about Bomber CampTM 2023 and how you can register for this extraordinary experience, please call +1(209) 982-0273, or visit: www.bombercamp.org
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Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
