I worked on Big Bad Bonnie after the Film
Hello
I joined this morning, after a google search looking for an update on the B25 Big Bad Bonnie. I was involved in some of the restoration of N9455Z after the film was made, in Hanger 2 at Cranfield airfield.
My father worked at Elstree Film Studios and did spend quite some time on the film doing some sound work and special effects. When the filming had finished, the Aircraft was on it’s way back to David Tallichet, when one of the engines suffered a Magneto failure over Ireland. It landed at Dublin airport where it remained for a short time. The story from my father is that the owner at the time decided to sell the B25 as the IRS were wanting some back dated tax, so the Aircraft was sold to Jeff Hawke and a small consortium of enthusiasts.The Aircraft was put into Hanger 2 at Cranfield after being repaired and flown over from Dublin by Jeff, where it stayed for about a year. I spent most of my weekends there working on “Big Bad Bonnie”
and listening to Glenn Miller over and over again.
The airshow season then started, and “Big Bad Bonnie” was the only airworthy B25 able to go to most of the shows in this country. I flew in it on quite a few occasions, and i did find the whole experience a white Knuckle ride. There were no seats in the back by the waist guns, so we had to just lie on the floor. The waist gun positions had been fitted with a perspex window either side to stop anyone from falling out, and to keep the draft and fumes out. What those guys went through in the war is truly amazing.
After a few years of airshow work, the Plane was on it’s way back from a show in Switzerland, when over France the oil pressure light came on. An Emergency landing was made at a Military base. Not too sure the exact location. The crew were arrested, standard procedure, and then came back by train and ferry to see if they could get the parts to repair Big Bad Bonnie.
Duxford did loan us an engine to get Bifg Bad Bonnie back, and was also having hardly any oil pressure when fitted a few weeks later. The aircraft then was left in France for a number of years, after Jeff and a few others in the consortium, fell out over expenses. As far as i am aware, the B25 was purchased by David Tallichet and was dismantled, then taken back to the US.
I believe it is in pieces still at Chino.
The other thing i found out about John (Jeff) Hawke, was that in the newspaper report in the Daily Star of his death, he was apparantly an ex CIA employed Pilot. During the Vietnam War he was Flying all sorts of Aircraft all over the place. Just like in the film Air America. He was a great Pilot and he flew the B25 very well. He flew so low one day at the Elstree Airshow, we had twigs and bushes wrapped around the undercarriage leg. The Flypast wheels down was very low.
My father has most of the photos of the restoration at Cranfield. I will get some pictures on here shortly. I do have “Mitchell’s Do Fly IMC” on video, but would like a copy on disc if anyone has a one to send to me. I do have some footage of the hanger work and roll out of “Big Bad Bonnie”, but will have to figure out a way of getting the video onto my PC.
Sign In
