B-25s for the Doolittle Reunion at The US Air Force Museum

[Troy]

So this weekend is the "Doolittle Tokyo Raiders 68th reunion at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force" in Dayton Ohio. As part of the reunion they have organized a large gathering of B-25 bombers which will be on static display at the museum and performing a mass take-off and formation flight during the ceremony. There are/were supposed to be 20 planes (only about 50 still flying) but I think the number has dropped to 17. Four surviving crewmen will also be on hand.
More info:
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123200076

The planes started arriving yesterday and are being staged at Grimes Field in Urbana. They will relocate to the museum (about a 20 minute flight) on Saturday morning. It was a nice day so I took off from work early and made the 90 mile trip (each way) in the Charger. I was hoping to be there for arrival and to get in close before the "official" kickoff for the weekend but was surprised at the number of spectators! I'm sure it will be harder to get any decent pictures Saturday - although the planes will probably be arranged in a better way - so these shots will have to do.






















From what I understand, "Betty's Dream" is what you might call a "concourse" restoration. It's brand new and built the way it would have come off the assembly line.

All the pictures:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v375/switchstancebrdr/Doolittle/

There's a subfolder in the album that shows a B-17 under restoration at Grimes field. It's not part of the reunion but it was there and I hadn't seen it before so I snapped a few pictures.

Troy

[moparstuart]

   how do you fit that trailer queen on the trailer   

[Ghoste]

Very nice.  That's a show I wish I could make.

[John_Kunkel]

Back around 1985 I attended an air show at Minter Field near Bakersfield, California and they had what was billed as the largest gathering of B-25's since the filming of Catch-22. They all lined up and took off one after another, a sight not to be forgotten.

[ChgrSteve67]

Man thats cool.

Its like a classis car show but with guns.



And if you think the classic car hobby is expensive.......  think again.

[Beer]

Great pics!  I went to Dayton and the museum for the 100 th anniversary of flight, Great airshows (Blue Angles AND Thunderbirds same day) and the Museum was of course awesome.

[tan top]

great pictures !! love them ole warbirds

[68X426]

Thank you for sharing.

[Troy]

Back around 1985 I attended an air show at Minter Field near Bakersfield, California and they had what was billed as the largest gathering of B-25's since the filming of Catch-22. They all lined up and took off one after another, a sight not to be forgotten.

On Saturday morning they are taking off at 2 minute intervals on the way to the Air Force base. On Sunday for the formation flyover they're taking off at 30 second intervals so it should be quite an experience.

And if you think the classic car hobby is expensive.......  think again.

I think it's about $100k per engine and overheard one of the crew say that it costs about $4k per flight hour. I'd hate to see what it costs for a turret or that glass in the nose.

Troy

[BrianShaughnessy]

 

   Thanx Troy.

[LaOtto70Charger]

Great pictures!  I wish I had the nerve to take the kids near all that.

[BigBlackDodge]

Oh man! I wanna be the tail gunner!



BBD

[Todd Wilson]

Oh man! I wanna be the tail gunner!



BBD

No you didnt!


Todd

[Todd Wilson]

That looks like a super cool time! Wish I was closer to get to go to that and see it all!We had a B17 land for the weekend here a few years ago and I went to see it. That was great! Let you climb in and check things out! Those guys were tougher in the old days!


Todd

[Tilar]

Great pics Troy, Man I love those old planes. I'd like to know how to fly.

Those guys were tougher in the old days!

Todd

Man you can say that again. The men that died in that war would be spinning in their grave if they could see what is happening to this country now.

[bakerhillpins]

Man thats cool.

Its like a classis car show but with guns.

You can say that again!!! Those planes are cool. 

Went to see a restored B-29 down at the New England Air Museum last year and it is just amazing.

Wish I was there. Thanks for posting.

[Troy]

More pics from today (a few extra planes in there as well):




















Yes, "Barbie III" has a cannon! "Miss Mitchell" has a windshield wiper. There are lots of neat little differences between the planes - landing light and gun configurations are the most noticeable but there are many more.

All the pictures at the link in the first post.

Troy

[Tilar]

Great Pics! I wish I had come down there instead of going to that swap meet up in Dalton today. 

[stripedelete]

I was "buzzed" by the "Confederate Air Force" ,while on my boat, near the Lake Erie Islands.  It was a 17 and a 25.
It was, to say the least, awe inspiring.

Did you get to talk to any of the Raiders?

Thanks for the pics.

[mopar73]

Fantastic pics

[FlatbackFanatic]

 

[Troy]

Well, they changed the schedule on me so I got there today just in time to see the last flyover from the highway. 

Troy

[Brock Samson]

 Still Troy, great Pics I really enjoyed! I can never seem to make of my mind as to which is my Fav. Medium... 
the Douglass - the Martin - or the North American... 

[bull]

American and British WWII warbirds are beautiful machines to say the least. I love the small bombers like the B-25 but especially the A- and B-26. As for fighters the P-51 is probably the best-looking plane ever made.

[Troy]

American and British WWII warbirds are beautiful machines to say the least. I love the small bombers like the B-25 but especially the A- and B-26. As for fighters the P-51 is probably the best-looking plane ever made.

The A-26 is one of my all-time favorite planes. I've only managed to see 1 in person though.

I was most disappointed yesterday because I missed the sound of 15,000 HP from 238 cylinders at about 1,000 feet overhead. There's nothing quite like a big radial engine - or a whole bunch of them at the same time!

My favorite fighter has to be the P-38. My favorite radial engined fighter is the P-47.

Troy

[Dans 68]

Thanks for sharing the photos. Muscle planes and cars...

My favorite fighter has to be the P-38....

Troy

Hah! Mine also, after I got a flyable model as a wee lad and flew it every day. Beautiful form.

Dan

[69rtse4spd]

Great pics., , love the old war birds. My father was a paratrooper in the Pacific in W.W.2, told me how they use to jump out of the B-25s somtimes. .

[RECHRGD]

Great shots Troy!  On a related note-----My wife just got a call from a genealogist that works for the government finding relatives of people missing in action.  Her older first cousin was shot down (in a B25) over Korea in 1951 or 52 and the remains were never recovered.  She would not say if the remains had been found or not.  My wife still has a letter he had written to her family just two days before he was lost.  They are sending her a DNA swab kit to confirm that she is now the next a kin.  We are hoping that if his remains have been found that we can put him at rest with the rest of his family in San Louis Obispo, Ca..  Bob

[Johnny SixPack]

My favorite radial engined fighter is the P-47.

Love those Thunderbolts:

http://www.aviation-history.com/republic/p47.html

Also dig Corsairs:

http://www.aviation-history.com/vought/f4u.html

Thanks for the pix, Troy.

[Brock Samson]

as i've stated many times i'm a huge fan of Nose Art...

and I've recently found a great appreciation for the de havilland mosquito!

   http://www.mossie.org/Mosquito.html

[KS71owner]

as i've stated many times i'm a huge fan of Nose Art...

and I've recently found a great appreciation for the de havilland mosquito!

   http://www.mossie.org/Mosquito.html

agreed....the Mosquito is one of the best looking planes of that era. It and the P38 Lightning are my favorites.

[stripedelete]

They were fast.  The Japanese called them "split tailed" demons (devils?).

[70charginglizard]

Very cool pics!

Another one of those cool airplanes my father flew in back in the day. 

[Troy]

I found out something very interesting for the pilots out there...

if you have a multi-engine rating you can actually take your biannual review in one of the B-25s! Of course, it ain't cheap (about $5k for 2-2.5 hours). Even if you aren't multi-engine rated you can still go and get pilot-in-command time. How cool is that?

Troy

[Akron_Charger]

great shots! i live about 3 hours from there and have spent a lot of my 22 years in existance at that museum. LOVE the XB-70 and SR-71...those are some airplanes

[greenpigs]

My brother inlaw and I got to see 16 fly overhead on the way to spring valley gun range. I tried to record it but my new cell phone sucks. They did sound Killer

[oldrock]

Great pics! I love all the WWII planes. You should seriously consider putting those slides together in a video set to music. I took my boys to see a B-17 years ago and took a ton of pictures. Then put it all to music in a video and it turned out cool. With all your great pics, it would make a fantastic video for sure.

It is really interesting to see how the config changed on that plane over time. On the early models, you can sure see where they would be vunerable to side attack. The latter models gave much better coverage.

[John_Kunkel]

Even if you aren't multi-engine rated you can still go and get pilot-in-command time. How cool is that?

Sorry to nitpick but simply manipulating the controls of an aircraft doesn't allow one to act as pilot-in-command, one must be type-rated in order to be PIC. In order for a non-rated person to fly the aircraft there would have to be a rated pilot in the other seat.

[Troy]

Even if you aren't multi-engine rated you can still go and get pilot-in-command time. How cool is that?

Sorry to nitpick but simply manipulating the controls of an aircraft doesn't allow one to act as pilot-in-command, one must be type-rated in order to be PIC. In order for a non-rated person to fly the aircraft there would have to be a rated pilot in the other seat.

Perhaps I should investigate exactly what they are providing. However, it's left seat time with an instructor in the right seat after undergoing ground training. Last time I checked that time could be logged by the student as PIC even though the instructor will technically be PIC (and can also log it that way as well). I suppose if it's just a refresher or checkride it's not the same as say full blown multi-engine training.

From the FAR:

(e) Logging pilot-in-command flight time. (1) A sport, recreational, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot may log pilot in command flight time for flights-

(i) When the pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which the pilot is rated, or has sport pilot privileges for that category and class of aircraft, if the aircraft class rating is appropriate;

(ii) When the pilot is the sole occupant in the aircraft;

(iii) When the pilot, except for a holder of a sport or recreational pilot certificate, acts as pilot in command of an aircraft for which more than one pilot is required under the type certification of the aircraft or the regulations under which the flight is conducted; or

(iv) When the pilot performs the duties of pilot in command while under the supervision of a qualified pilot in command provided—]

(A) The pilot performing the duties of pilot in command holds a commercial or airline transport pilot certificate and aircraft rating that is appropriate to the category and class of aircraft being flown, if a class rating is appropriate;

(B) The pilot performing the duties of pilot in command is undergoing an approved pilot in command training program that includes ground and flight training on the following areas of operation—

( 1 ) Preflight preparation;

( 2 ) Preflight procedures;

( 3 ) Takeoff and departure;

( 4 ) In-flight maneuvers;

( 5 ) Instrument procedures;

( 6 ) Landings and approaches to landings;

( 7 ) Normal and abnormal procedures;

( 8 ) Emergency procedures; and

( 9 ) Postflight procedures;

(C) The supervising pilot in command holds—

( 1 ) A commercial pilot certificate and flight instructor certificate, and aircraft rating that is appropriate to the category, class, and type of aircraft being flown, if a class or type rating is required; or

( 2 ) An airline transport pilot certificate and aircraft rating that is appropriate to the category, class, and type of aircraft being flown, if a class or type rating is required; and

(D) The supervising pilot in command logs the pilot in command training in the pilot's logbook, certifies the pilot in command training in the pilot's logbook and attests to that certification with his or her signature, and flight instructor certificate number.

(2) If rated to act as pilot in command of the aircraft, an airline transport pilot may log all flight time while acting as pilot in command of an operation requiring an airline transport pilot certificate.

(3) A certificated flight instructor may log pilot in command flight time for all flight time while serving as the authorized instructor in an operation if the instructor is rated to act as pilot in command of that aircraft.

(4) A student pilot may log pilot-in-command time only when the student pilot—

(i) Is the sole occupant of the aircraft or is performing the duties of pilot of command of an airship requiring more than one pilot flight crewmember;

(ii) Has a solo flight endorsement as required under §61.87 of this part; and

(iii) Is undergoing training for a pilot certificate or rating.

Troy

[John_Kunkel]

A, B, and C under (iv) are restrictions that deal with logging PIC time during an approved training program, I'd say it's a stretch to call manipulating the controls a "training program" but..............

If you look in a typical pilot's logbook under TYPE OF PILOTING TIME you'll find columns for "dual received" and "pilot in command". A non-rated pilot flying with an instructor would be logged as dual received.

[Troy]

Got it. So any way, you can fly one if you want.

Troy

[John_Kunkel]

The ride is what's important anyway, the paperwork is irrelevant.

The Collings Foundation B-17 and B-24 will hit town here in a couple of weeks offering rides for a fee and there will also be a P-51 (my alltime favorite) with them offering rides for $2200 for a half-hour and $3200 for a full hour. If only...............

[Troy]

That's $2,200 in the B-17 and B-24 right? Last time I was in a P-51 it was about $425 for a 45 minute ride. The B-25 rides at this event were $400 but they were booked solid so I have no idea how long of a trip it was (30 minutes?).

Troy

[John_Kunkel]

No, the B-17 and B-24 are in the $300-400 range because they can pack in lots of riders compared to the Mustang, the $2200-3200 tab is for a ride in the Mustang.

[Troy]

Wow. Guess I should have ponied up for a few more rides then. I could take a private jet to dinner in Chicago for that amount. We got to buzz the field so that was worth the price but for 6-7 times the price I'd be expecting a full on dog fight.

Troy