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B-24 Driver

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  • in reply to: NEW UK BEECH 18 ARRIVES! #1394215
    B-24 Driver
    Participant

    That sure don’t look like the Beech 18 I flew in 1943. We had the trycicle gear and were razzed by some of the others about our flying milk stools. They were the original bare aluminum and almost square in section. Used for training pilots, navigators, bombadiers, most of whom ended up in B-24s.

    in reply to: Martin B-57 #1394217
    B-24 Driver
    Participant

    Hi… No pix but just a brief comment.
    I was at Kimpo Apt in Korea, can’t remember exact date, but was flying glass nose 26 photo plane. A B-57 came in and was there for most of a day (I believe for some sort of maintenance) but they had so much security on it we couldn’t get close enough to see anything. Rumor had it they had a large camera in the bomb bay with a 100 inch lens on it and that they would hit the DMZ wide open and make a wide arc, with the plane banked, then book out before the NK jets could get up,and were able to see all of North Korea. Was just a rumor but sounded possible.
    A fun war. We were something like 3 minutes from their jet base and flying planes redlined at 320 mph. They were behind a small mountain christened by the guys as the Witches Tit so our radar didn’t see them until they were well off the ground

    in reply to: Anti-tank guns as anti-bomber guns #1410031
    B-24 Driver
    Participant

    For AA use they were capable of reaching close to 20,000 feet and were fused for our altitude – German fighters would call in the altitude – and they would spread scrap iron for several meters in all directions. Any piece in the right location could bring down a ship. Besides it was noisy as hell on the skin of the plane.

    in reply to: RR Merlin or Radial . . . #1410034
    B-24 Driver
    Participant

    I vote for the round… Spent several hundred hours between/behind a variety of Pratts. A few double Wrights, but they were known for offering more three engine time than four for the pilot’s log.

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)