B-24 Hmmm

That's a great history, BP.

My late dad and I flew in the same aircraft on Father's Day.

It was quite an afternoon. We were the first flight of the day. The Crew Chief asked for a volunteer, so my arm shot up. I turned the props on 3 and 4 while he did 1 and 2. Big ones.

My pay off was to sit in the RO seat right behind the pilots for take off.

I think the pilot was a Delta Captain and maybe a Collings Daughter-in-Law. Her husband is right-seat. I spent the first part of the flight sitting in the nose turret.

BTW Tanksie- I solved the mystery of "the only B-24 flying". The Collings website lists her as the "only B-24J" flying.

I remember when McGovern was running against Nixon for the presidency.My father was a USAF Major. He felt McGovern was a pacifist. He knew nothing about his WW2 service aa a bomber pilot. Dad's brother flew B-24s out of Tripoli and also Italy. Years later I read Stephen Ambrose's book the Wild Blue, the story of the US Army Air Corps. I gave him a copy for Fathers Day. By this time he had served a tour in Vietnam flying C-123's in 1967-68. He was astounded. Hardly anyone knew this about George McGovern. Would it have made a difference in the election; probably not. The American public eventually turned against the war in SE Asia.My son and I flew in All-American the Collings Foundation B-24. Like I said, my uncle Lt. Col. Maurice Johnson flew B-24s and participated and survived the daylight raids against the Nazi oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania. He died two years ago at age 94. I keep waiting for HK Models to do a B-24 to build in his memory.

GMorrison

 

 

 

Unless I am mistaken, the CAF has a flying B-24A named "Diamond Lil".

 

Yes, it is still flying.  It used to be known as "Ole 927".  It was one of the first group to be sent to the British, but was damaged and and bailed back to Consolidated where I believe it was used a testbed for the C-87 program where B-24's and US LB-30's were converted to freighters.  As B-17 crews called it, "the box the B-17 came in".

"The Wild Blue", right?

There's a lot of nonsense on the internet so to sort it out; "The Dragon.." was a paint job on the Collings B-24J that still flies painted up as "Witchcraft". I have flown on it and it was a great experience.

That aircraft is tail number 44-44052 and was transferred to the RAF immediately after it was built at Fort Worth. It served in the Pacific and was eventually left in India when the British left after Independence.

The original "Dragon.." tail number 44-40973 flew in the USAAF in the Pacific, and was scrapped after the war.

Unless I am mistaken, the CAF has a flying B-24A named "Diamond Lil".

Hello TB!

And there's more! They have built more B-24s than B-17s but much less of them babies survived until today. The B-24 is distantly related to a Consolidated flying boat, but those dang "concertina" bomb bay doors caused the fuselage to fail every time it was ditched on water.

The navy version with single tail was called PB4Y Privateer.

I have once built the Liberator in 1:50, about 30 years ago - a paper model:

See the date - 31 years. Wow.

I have also started this one, I think you would love it TB:

Now it's a beauty, large (about 1m wingspan) and has most of the interior there. Thing is I've had the front section done, and then my brother (then about two years old, so it must have been about 25 years ago) has literally chewed my work apart. I made my mom repay that model and I have a second one, but I didn't get to start it over. But it still can be bought, no problem - if anybody is interested.

The Privateer also can be built large as a paper model:

Thanks for reading and have a nice day

Paweł