| LIBERTY BELLE FLIES WITH UNSEEN PILOT |
The "Liberty Belle", a B-17 flying fortress, originally built by Boeing Aircraft corporation in the late 1930's
and early 1940's, touched down at the Charleston International Airport in Charleston, South Carolina. She
hosted onboard tours and offered 45 minute flights around the local area. The "Liberty Belle" is one of 8,
B-17's which remain flying and there are only 14, B-17's.
The "Liberty Belle" is owned by Mr. Don Brooks, whose father was a tail gunner on a B-17. It took Mr.
Brooks 12 years to restore this airplane and literally piece it together from other planes. The first flight,
after restoration, occurred in December of 2004. The plane now tours the country, 10 months out of the
year, hosting tours and giving local flights.
The "Liberty Belle" has 4 propellers which offer a cruising speed of 160 knots while burning 170 gallons of
fuel per hour. In her time, she was great bomber with a crew of 10 which included the pilot, co-pilot,
navigator, bombardier, radio operator, flight engineer and 4 gunners.
Mr. Ed Dohar, a resident of Folly Beach for the past 8 years, was in attendance for the tour. During World
War II, he was pilot aboard B-17's. Mr. Dohar was born in Patterson, New Jersey in 1924. While growing up,
he loved to build and fly gasoline airplanes.
When he was 18, he was drafted into the military. He wanted to fly airplanes but there was a 3 year, college
requirement to enter into the pilot training program, that left him out. Then the rules changed, a high school
diplomas was needed, that left him out too as he had dropped out of high school in his senior year. Later,
due to the shortage of personnel, the rules changed again to being able to pass an entrance exam. He
passed and was sent to the training command on the west coast of Santa Anna, California for pre-flight
training.
Upon completion of this training, he was sent to Louisiana for training on the B-13, which was a low-wing,
aluminum, canopied airplane. His next assignment was at Pecos, Texas for advanced training on a UC78,
which was a utility, cargo, two-engine aircraft. He received his flight wings on 23 December 1944.
His first assignment, after flight training school, was flying B-17's in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was then
transferred to Lincoln, Nebraska to fly with crews to Europe with the Eighth Air Force.
While in Europe, VE (victory in Europe) Day occurred. Now, the planes were coming home. To help with this
project, Mr. Dohar was placed in what was called the "White Project". This project was enacted to relieve
the Eighth Air Force crews returning from Europe for their 30 day leave.
When the returning crews landed at Bradley Field, Connecticut, new crews flew the planes to Lubbock,
Texas for storage. After the planes were secured, the pilots flew back commercially with top priority.
Mr. Dohar served 30 months in the air core. After his military service, he utilized the GI Bill and attended
Clemson A and M (what it was called then) and graduated with a degree in civil engineering. He started a
consulting engineering business. Mr. Dohar is vibrant, 81 years young and is still doing engineering work.
The following story is about the time when Mr. Dohar's official duties were to relieve the Eighth Air Force
crews returning from Europe:
The followed procedure was for each aircraft to be manned with a first pilot, co-pilot and an engineer. After
the crew was assembled, they were assigned an aircraft and a departure schedule. Each trip involved a
new crew assignment. The return trip was by commercial airlines with a flight priority second only to the
President of the United States.
Mr. Dohar was trained as a co-pilot, so this was his assignment. His duty, as you might know, was to follow
the commands of the first pilot and to also apply what he had learned in B-17, transition training.
He was assigned to a firs pilot with whom he shared a very harrowing experience. The trip was uneventful,
even to the approach to the landing area. The field was black, asphalt runway, rather than concrete. At the
end of the runway was a dense stand of large trees.
His duties were complete for landing, wheels down, cowl flaps open, superchargers set at "8". In the event
of a go-around command, his single duty was to provide full throttle, and that was all, the first pilot handled
the rest of the duty.
The approach was normal to him. The first pilot rounded out near the end of the runway, that's when it
began. The co-pilot noticed the heat waves rising from the black runway. The plane was almost floating on
this heat. They floated much farther than they should have before they touched down, about half way down
the runway.
As soon as they touched down, the first pilot shouted, get on the brakes! That, the co-pilot did, and so did
the first pilot. They slowed the plane down to about 70MPH. By this time it was evident that the trees had
become a menace, at which point the co-pilot was taken back by a question from the pilot, shall we go
around? Instinctively, the co-pilot shouted, go around! The co-pilot immediately slammed the throttles to
full, still wondering about this question that should have bee a direct command.
Sometimes time stands still, but this time it raced like there was no tomorrow. The B-17 flies at 90MPH; their
speed was slowly creeping up to 75, 80, then it happened. The first pilot began struggling with the controls,
pushing and pulling the wheel forward and back uselessly. The co-pilot looked over at him and was
shocked to see that the first pilot had lost control of himself and was completely in a panic, the co-pilot said
to himself, I've lost my first pilot.
This is where the co-pilot was provided a new pilot, the Holy Spirit, himself. He was receiving instructions as
to what he should do. First, he thought, set superchargers up to "War Emergency Power 10", responded.
Then he though, close the cowl flaps, he turned all 4 levers, closing all flaps. Then he thought, drop some
wing flaps, he reached down and lowered about 10-15 degrees of flaps, and wonders of wonders, up she
came, almost brushing the top of the trees.
At the realization of their safety, the panicked first pilot came to his senses, taking control. The co-pilot
reduced the power, opened the cowl flaps and retracted the wing flaps. Then he felt a hand on his
shoulder. The engineer, who had been standing behind them, without saying a word, was patting the
co-pilot on the shoulder. The co-pilot's reaction was numbness. He couldn't accept his gratitude because in
his mind he knew that it was not his doings.
The co-pilot was only following his new, first co-pilot's commands, doing what he was told. He deserved the
praise, but yet, the co-pilot did have to obey. The Spirit of God had taken the pilot's place and delivered
them from a blazing death and the co-pilot knew it. God had saved them all from that crash and provided
Mr. Dohar the opportunity to live and tell this story today for the Lord's glory, to let each reader know that
there is a God in heaven who wants to be your first pilot for life.
Their go-around was normal, the landing was normal, they taxied to the parking area where they parted
company with not one word said. The co-pilot reported the "War Emergency Power" usage in the plane's
log and went to the barracks, amazed at what had happened. Mr. Dohar was drafted into the military to kill
the enemy and he praised the Lord that he was his co-pilot, commanded to save three lives, including his
own.
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