[ARCHIVED THREAD] - B-25 Mitchell (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 5/25/2017 9:40:08 PM EDT
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I am currently in South San Jose, Ca. There happens to be a B-25 Mitchell that has been flying back and forth all afternoon.
What a cool plane. I see them in Scottsdale flying around on occasion. The one here, obviously out of Moffett from Wings of Freedom, is just cruising back and forth at what seems like low altitude. We are right under its flight path. Pretty cool. I will eventually pay for a ride. CSB |
| Please tell me where I can read about that first picture! |
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Please tell me where I can read about that first picture! Quoted:
Please tell me where I can read about that first picture! I think there's only Col. Richard E. Cole, copilot of aircraft No. 1 (age 101) is the last surviving Doolittle Raider.[65][66][67] and the only one to live to an older age than Doolittle, who died in 1993 at age 96.[68] Cole was Doolittle's co-pilot on the raid. |
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The thing looks like a toy cruising over. I tried to snap pics on my iPhone. Pics look like an insect. The sound is cool at a cruising speed. Sounds like a small prop plane. It is a small prop plane!  
She'll be heading out on summer tour soon, so don't wait too long |
| Not a B-25 but still cool as hell. |
| A-26 in a B-25 thread? |
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I always liked those. The Marine PBJ's too.
Attached File Low pass over water. |
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Doolittle 1995 reenactment I think there's only Quoted:
Quoted:
Please tell me where I can read about that first picture! I think there's only Col. Richard E. Cole, copilot of aircraft No. 1 (age 101) is the last surviving Doolittle Raider.[65][66][67] and the only one to live to an older age than Doolittle, who died in 1993 at age 96.[68] Cole was Doolittle's co-pilot on the raid. |
| A good friend of mine is crew chief on that A-26. |
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The Panchito was in my grandfathers squadron in the 396th. 7th Air Force.
If if I remember correctly, it's the only surviving plane from his group. They were flown from the Marshall Islands starting just after the marines took Tarawa. The B-25 my grandfather flew was the june bug. He was shot down leading a bombing run on a Japanese held island. He put it down in the water with a hard landing. the seatbelt broke causing him to crack his skull on the instrument panel. He also broke two ribs and his back. With all that, he managed to deploy the life raft and pull his entire crew into the boat. They floated for 8 hours waiting for pick up. He got two silver stars, the Navy cross, the Navy wings and several other medals. Here is a link to their last reunion. He's the one in the red shirt 41st i have some pictures from then he gave me, I'll look and see if I can find them and post. ETA I said 12 hours, it was 8.. Not 12 |
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That plane is based in Georgetown, TX. I know the lady that flies and maintains it.
Thats an awesome pic BTW |
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Funny, the title got me thinking about Devil Dog. I have to dig up some pics.
About 3 years ago I was pre-flighting my airplane when DD landed and taxied up. It was cool as hell listening to it. I went and did my thing, when I returned there wasn't another person on the ramp. I got to walk about and check it out. Just a cool experience. One of these days I need to go for a ride. A couple of years ago I did do a flight on the B-17 Texas Raiders. |
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The Panchito was in my grandfathers squadron in the 396th. 7th Air Force. If if I remember correctly, it's the only surviving plane from his group. They were flown from the Marshall Islands starting just after the marines took Tarawa. The B-25 my grandfather flew was the june bug. He was shot down leading a bombing run on a Japanese held island. He put it down in the water with a hard landing. the seatbelt broke causing him to crack his skull on the instrument panel. He also broke two ribs and his back. With all that, he managed to deploy the life raft and pull his entire crew into the boat. They floated for 12 hours waiting for pick up. He got two silver stars, the Navy cross, the Navy wings and several other medals. Here is a link to their last reunion. He's the one in the red shirt 41st i have some pictures from then he gave me, I'll look and see if I can find them and post. 
I'd love to see the pics |
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That's no B-25. That's an A-26. My absolute favorite warbird! Back on topic: Got to see two B-25s fly this past weekend. 
http://i.imgur.com/f04Akgg.jpg http://i.imgur.com/Rz8ueA3.jpg Here's one that one of my buddies pilots from time to time. Attached File |
 Doolittle Raiders B-25 Launch Footage (1942) |
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The history of Wild Cargo is quite fascinating if you're into that sort of thing. It was saved by Walter Soplata and somewhere on the internet is a story written by Walter's son about how they disassembled it and drug it home. IIRC it was abandoned at Lunken Airport and they took it apart and drug it home a little at a time. If I can find the story I'll post the link. Here's one that one of my buddies pilots from time to time. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/308940/IMAG0887-216639.JPG |
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Heres the pics that I could find. I have others but they are scattered around various drives on my server.
Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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A-26 in a B-25 thread? Once I posted the pictures I realized it was not a B-25, but I couldn't remember what it was and I knew someone would let me know. Thanks.
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 Catch 22 Take off scene |
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How about the staged crash to promote the travelling show? Lol. Quoted:
Quoted:
The history of Wild Cargo is quite fascinating if you're into that sort of thing. It was saved by Walter Soplata and somewhere on the internet is a story written by Walter's son about how they disassembled it and drug it home. IIRC it was abandoned at Lunken Airport and they took it apart and drug it home a little at a time. If I can find the story I'll post the link. Here's one that one of my buddies pilots from time to time. https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/308940/IMAG0887-216639.JPG 
Here's the article I mentioned earlier... |
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Beleive that this was martin Cajdin of the Six Million Dollar Man series and a great writer of Air History books.
buzzed Florida Field during a game... November 17, 1985|By Larry Guest of the Sentinel Staff GAINESVILLE — Nostalgia was the theme of Saturday's football carnival at Florida Field for the game between the host Gators and the University of Kentucky Wildcats. Featured acts included: -- The Archaic Air Force -- a harmless hot-air balloon and an ominous, WWII-vintage B-25 that buzzed the stadium, light-tower high, in the first quarter. -- The Wide Tackle Six -- a defensive alignment right out of the leather- helmet era that threw a net over Florida's potent scoring machine for the second game in a row. -- The Gator Gaffe -- that familiar old Gainesville disease, perhaps a form of consumption, that for decades has returned like locusts every November to afflict UF players' equilibriums and/or coaches' brains at the height of the SEC title chase. The nostalgia of it all sort of made you want to scan the parking lots for Hudson Hornets or bum a Lucky Strike off the guy in the next seat. The flashback fates were kind, though, and these contemporary Florida Gators survived all three ravages from the past for a 15-13 escape from the stubborn, upset-minded Wildcats. The Mad Strafer in the B-25 thankfully buzzed off to parts unknown, the Wide Tackle Six finally leaked enough Gator offense to give Florida the lead, and a late play call apparently caused by a recurrence of the dreaded Gator Gaffe proved more embarrassing than fatal. After moving inside the Kentucky's 5 and into position for a winning chip- shot field goal with 30 seconds left, Gators Coach Galen Hall called for a risky halfback throwback pass to the quarterback. For a second there, as more than 70,000 orange and blue hearts dropped to ankle level, it appeared the ploy might go down in infamy alongside some of the more forgettable moments of UF football history. Heading left with a pitchout, tailback Neal Anderson stopped and put up a pedigree mallard that fluttered far short of quarterback Kerwin Bell and nearer the waiting arms of two U-Kat defenders in the right side of the Kentucky end zone. A southpaw, Anderson had shown promise as a passer with two earlier completions this season. But this wobbler had hang time Reggie Roby and Ray Guy would admire. Apparently all that kept UK's David Johnson and Maurice Douglass from making the game-sealing interception had to be momentary confusion over whether to call for a fair catch or invoke the infield fly rule. Actually Johnson and Douglass ran together, and the ball bounded off several fingertips onto the turf, thus sparing Hall a dubious spot in Gators history. Remember Fourth-and-Dumb -- when Doug Dickey went for it from Florida's 28 to ignite a Georgia romp? This would have been indelibly etched as its red- haired stepson, Third-and-Dumb, had Kentucky intercepted to preserve a 13-12 upset. ''One more reason,'' quipped one wag, ''why drug-testing should be required of coaches, too.'' Instead, Jeff Dawson kicked the game-winner on the next play, and the Gators frolicked off to the bathhouse, where Hall grinned sheepishly and confessed to the fractured logic of that third-down call. ''I was trying to call that play all day, and for some reason it came to me then,'' he said. ''I tried to call time and change to another play as we broke the huddle, but I couldn't get Kerwin's attention. I've always said I'd rather be lucky than good.'' Hall and his probation-shackled Gators have been much more of the latter. The victory assured them at least a share of the top spot -- albeit unofficial -- in SEC standings for the second year in a row, and that sterling accomplishment will be remembered long after the B-25 attack and problems with Kentucky's archaic Wide Tackle Six are forgotten. UF officials phoned the feds to report the mad aviator, and word has it that he flew off to Ocala, presumably to strafe Florida-breds and glass- bottomed boats. His low-altitude flyover during the first quarter was variously estimated at between 300 feet and row 44. ''Lower than the stadium lights,'' testified UF publicist Norm Carlson. ''Low enough,'' mused Hall, ''to pick off some of our passes.'' Especially the ill-advised one there in the final 30 seconds. |
| Mango-coconut-sized balls of steel ^ |
| When my father was a child in WW2, a B25 crashed in the woods across the street from where he lived. He and a cousin were the first ones to the crash site. He said they were playing in the yard and heard an explosion, then saw the airplane on fire before it went down. The whole neighborhood was pretty much locked down until the bodies and airplane were recovered. |
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Mango-coconut-sized balls of steel ^ Quoted:
Mango-coconut-sized balls of steel ^ They knew the odds. Heroes. All of them. |
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It wasn't staged. One engine quit so they circled Lunken, burning off fuel and the second engine quit and they ended up making a wheels up landing. Unless I'm mistaken, it was full of snakes and gators at the time as well. LOL! http://b-25history.org/aircraft/pics/4430129a.jpg Here's the article I mentioned earlier... |
| When we were at Minot AFB in 67/68 the CMSGT that lived beside us (I believe his name was spelled Sutarik, but that's how it was pronounced and it could have been spelled different) had been a B28 waist gunner in WW2. He was married to a very nice German lady and they had two little girls just a year or so younger than me and my brother. |
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Doolittle 1995 reenactment I think there's only |
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They are very loud when doing their run up!
I had the good fortune to be lined up behind them when they did their run up. I also was behind a P-51 when it did its run up, and I got to pretend that the 172 I was in was a Mustang. 
I got to fly a T6 Texan last week at the Kissimee Warbird Museum, and I'm dying to do it again! It wasn't cheap, but it was fun! |
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This is some great nose art.....
Also the B-25 "Maid in the shade" is an actual WWII combat veteran and was based in Corsica. Attached File Attached File |
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If you can make your way over to Moffett Field today or tomorrow - for $15 you can go climb in and poke around the B24 and the B17. Collings is a great organization run by great people. The youngest girl wants to go for a ride in the B-17. She saw the movie Memphis Belle (1990) and has loved the B-17 ever since. I want to ride in all three bombers. The P-51 at $2.2k for 30 minutes or $3.2k for an hour sounds really steep. Stick time in a P-51? For even 30 seconds would be awesome. Sucks being of moderate income. 
Eta: Low clouds today. At least this morning. Might be a crappy day for a ride. Sour grapes. |
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Years ago I was riding my bike on Canada road in San Mateo county and I heard what I thought was a muscle car coming up behind me. It turned out that it was a P-51 just cruising by. That beast sounded like a race car. It sounded mean. Just cruising. Louder than Hell.
CSB |
That is a PBJ. Its better than a B-25. 
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The B-25H is my favorite. http://imgproc.airliners.net/photos/airliners/9/1/9/2006919.jpg?v=v40 |