The B-26 Marauder – we can't see one flying in Europe, so here's a movie instead.

I have wondered if the ‘enemies’ referred to by the senior officer at the post flight debrief was really aimed at the Truman commitee?.

I’m glad the film comes across as interesting, despite being rather ‘long winded’ – obviously it’s for pilot training, but I decided not to try and edit it down in length.
I personally love finding out about the complexities of aircraft like this.

Nowadays you could make a film telling a similar story, in a more ‘documentary’ way. Pilots can easily now talk you through the control details etc, but from the 1940’s the only ones I’ve found that tried that method come across in very ‘stiffly’…so I guess that’s why they used actors to do it here.
They must have had a ‘cut-away airframe’ to achieve the well lit front-on cockpit shots. Even the exterior in-flight camera work is smooth.

The ‘Wikipedia’ page on the B-26 seems very well written by the way. It gives a good summary of the types history and towards the end mentions an aircraft at MAPS that is being restored to flight. Anyone know anything more?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_B-26_Marauder

The Fantasy of flight website page is
http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/b26.htm

David T

videos-www.flyingfilm.co.uk
Changi photos-www.focalplanes.co.uk

Don Porter was the Capt. in the film. I remember him as the father in TV Gidget in the 60’s
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692093/

Would be nice to see the show put on by I think Bob Hoover doing all the things you weren’t supposed to do in the B-26.

Chris

😮 The ground crew,other aircrew watching at the end looked almost disappointed when it landed safe 😮

There used to be a B-26 fuselage section in the scrapyard near Warrington back in the 70s – I assume it’s long lost now. Anyone know for sure?

The history of that airframe (41-35253), illustrations after recovery of substantial remnants from the yard and the story of its fate are covered in an in depth article in the November 2010 edition of the very publication that sponsors this Forum. 😉

Only the rear fuselage still survives – now in storage, though once displayed at Earles Colne.

Tim

There used to be a B-26 fuselage section in the scrapyard near Warrington back in the 70s – I assume it’s long lost now. Anyone know for sure?

Probably the other way around.
The film is trying to help crew get the most out of the plane, not fear it.

No I realise that, what I’m trying to say is that it now conveys to us 60+ years on is how complex some of the sequences were, especialy regarding managment of prop over-speed, engine-runaways, and elec fail during take-off, it looks a real handful for both pilots to control in these circumstances.
I hadn’t realised the importance of the ‘putt putt’ APU and being able to fire it up in flight incase of engine generator failure aswel – all these details we can easily be overlooked now and they are important when one is looking into operational history etc.

James, thanks for the info re the ‘flyer’, I thought that was the case, and agree with your last para.
Like it or not this great aircraft did gain a reputation, ironically at both ends of the spectrum, one for being dangerous, the other for being an outstandingly successful medium bomber during operations.

Are there any flying examples anywhere now?

Sadly, no. None anywhere.

Kermit Weeks’ example at Fantasy of Flight is often claimed as airworthy, but hasn’t flown for a number of years – around a decade, IIRC – and is, therefore not ‘airworthy’ in any real sense without undergoing something between another restoration and a major overhaul.

The last airworthy B-26 Marauder was the Confederate Air Force’s ‘Carolyn’: lost in a fatal accident, killing the crew and a couple of British enthusiasts who’d gone up for a pleasure flight.

The rarity of the type today (which influences the number of potential and actual fliers) has everything to do with its withdrawal at the end of W.W.II and the postwar utility, use and thus longevity of the A(B)-26 Invader and B-25 Mitchell.

Regards,

Plenty of complex emergency handling routines there aswel, I wonder if they contributed to the Marauder’s fearsome reputation.

Probably the other way around.
The film is trying to help crew get the most out of the plane, not fear it.

Only just had a chance to watch that, fantastic stuff, some good humour in there aswell, the USAAF training films always seem more relaxed than the RAF versions!
Plenty of complex emergency handling routines there aswel, I wonder if they contributed to the Marauder’s fearsome reputation.

A great film of the pre-flight procedure, One of the most beautiful looking aircraft ever built..it just looks right 🙂

I know the last airworthy one is there but haven’t seen anything about it flying lately?

There’s a flyable one at Fantasy of Flight

no flying planes over here at all.

Are there any flying examples anywhere now?