No, that’s why I asked a question and not made a statement!;)

Unfortunately, the way you scribed it, it read more like a statement rather than an actual question, even though it had a question mark on the end but now you have clarified it for me….thanks.

Actually I remembered the Ils after I posted, I kind of knew Spit and 190 levels were close to B-24, but genuinely surprised that 109 production was as high as that!
The B-24 is generally regarded as the most highly produced US type.

Sounds much better.

JDK makes a good case for the survival ratio, but thought that Libs were as populor for fire bombing use post-war?
I’m guessing that the other thing which influences B-24 survival numbers is the types’ use through more theatres and roles than the B-17 and thus higher likelyhood to loss through enemy action and accidents?

The privateer was indeed used for water bombing as was the 17, but i don’t think 24’s were used for the role? I am willing to be educated here.

Although the discussion revolves around the poor survival ratio of the 24, does that not surely make those of the 190, 109 and IL2 far worse?

Bomberboy

What about N663TB that turned up at Audley End last month for a function?
A tri-cycle version.

Bomberboy

Here is a link to the ATC page

Many thanks old chap

Bomberboy

Attached piccie I took at Duxford.

Neither of these are flying now!!!

Fortuitously, a little piece of Liberty Belle is still flying I believe in the shape of Sally B’s #1 engine.

Lets hope that’s a piece of good legacy that she leaves!!!!

Bomberboy

An in-flight fire well back from the engine, its reported on WIX that the fire was spotted by an accompanying P-40 pilot, its very lucky it was apparantly detected early and didnt become more substantial in the air?

Perhaps fuel from a leaking draincock has ignited from the engine exhaust?, or perhaps a more substantial leak from the fuel tank was exiting at that point?

It is a possibility although this actual area and the draincock is not exactly in line with or necessarily close to the exhaust back outlet and is even further away from the turbo wheel.
Neither is it near the nacelle fire dump duct (if still fitted).
I did consider electrical faults with the #1 eng fuel booster pump or fuel shut off valve perhaps causing a spark mixed with leaking fuel, or even the flap control gear which is effectively the other side of the #2 nacelle, but all these things just seem too far away to start a fire for a small leak.
A big leak would of course likely have a different result and may be the cause here.

A very sad outcome for the airframe, but very lucky result for such a problem to be detected and the crew to get her down before it got worse.

It certainly is and even more so definately was, if indeed the P-40 pilot who was the one that spotted it, otherwise they might not have been so lucky as there would be no chance to see this fire directly from the interior until perhaps it was streaking back much further than the wing trailing edge and that’s if you happened to be looking forward from the left waist or looking right back from the cockpit. One has to remember, they had only just taken off and so it’s unlikely that anyone was out of their seat at the time.
There is the possibility that someone who would know different, might have smelt something anyway.
The pilots may have shut down #2 in an attempt to hopefully curtail the fire in the belief that this might have been the cause of the fire, but I personally believe that this did not make any difference in the end anyway, but it may have reduced it enough which allowed the occupants the fantastic opportunity to get the bomber down safely and exit ensuring no injuries were sustained in the process.:)
Good cool flying skills 😎 with an horrendous proposition of an outcome, should all the wrong decisions be made in a panic!!!:eek:

Bomberboy

Am I imagining it, or has it got some very odd bomb doors fitted? I recall the B24 had a sort of roller blind arrangement (and I’m sure I remember reading somewhere that for some reason they’d slowly creep open on the ground), and whatever it has isn’t those.

The bomb doors on B-24’s are electrically opened via a motor, cables and sprockets arrangement.
The doors are a solid arrangement with internal corrugations which merely slide up the outside of the fuselage on runners and are moved by the aforementioned sprockets.

HTH’s

Bomberboy

Engines, outboard wings and tail are salvageable or have salvageable parts.

Let’s be optimistic…:D:D:D…

Looking at the damage, although some of the areas you mention are still visible, I fear that heat damage alone will more than add to the problems anyway and don’t hold out too much hope for that many unaffected parts.

It certainly looks like #2 had been feathered.

Bomberboy