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Bombers

Grumman TBM “Avenger”

The TBM saw its first combat in WWII during the Battle of Midway as a low level torpedo bomber against the Japanese fleet. As the war in the Pacific progressed and the US gained the upper hand, there developed a shortage of targets as most of the the enemy shipping was on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The Avenger was then turned into a low level bomber to support the Marines and soldiers in the island hopping campaign of the US military on the road to Japan. Another important role for the TBM was that of anti-submarine hunter in the Atlantic, helping to turn the tide against the dreaded U-boat. The TBM is the Eastern aircraft Division of General Motor’s license built version of the Grumman TBF. 7,546 TBMs were built by Eastern.

Dave Tinker of Monroe, MI enroute to an air show in his TBM, “Ida Red”, which will again be appearing at this year’s event. Make sure you visit the Avenger on the ramp and note the size of the aircraft, and the crew locations for the pilot, radio operator, and tail gunner. This TBM is painted in the gray that was used by the anti-submarine aircraft working from the jeep carriers in the North Atlantic that did the convoy protection duty.

Douglas A-1 “Skyraider”

The Douglas “Skyraider”, powered by a Wright R-3350 18-cylinder radial engine producing 2700 hp, could carry more than 8,000 lbs in bombs, is considered to be the best propeller attack aircraft ever produced, and yet it was literally designed over night in a hotel room. Douglas designers were in Washington, DC in 1944 to see if they could still bid on a new aircraft design for the Navy, and were informed that the new aircraft would only be considered if they produced the plans the next morning. The engineers returned to their hotel, worked all night, and the next morning presented the new design to the Navy, which accepted the plans. Although first flown in March of 1945, first production did not come off the assembly line until 1946, too late for the “Skyraider” to see action in WWII. However, the “Skyraider” served in both Korea and Vietnam where it earned the reputation for the ability to carry heavy loads, loiter for long periods over the target, and absorb large amounts of battle damage and still return home. The most famous role of the “Skyraider” was that of “Sandy” missions in Vietnam, which was the escorting of rescue helicopters to the sites of downed airmen and providing suppressing fire during the retrieval of the pilots. Although it had a propeller and couldn’t fly nearly as fast as the jet aircraft of that era, it could stay at the rescue site and drop bombs and rockets for extended time periods until the pilots were extracted.

Pictured above, Bureau No. 135178, a Douglas AD-5W/EA-1E, was accepted by the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics at El Segundo, CA on June 30, 1953. It then served with VMA-332 in Korea aboard the USS Ranger, making 70 traps during its sea-borne career. During the next 20 years this particular aircraft flew 2,300 hours and was also one of the last Skyraiders retired by the military, leaving active duty on June 17, 1973. It is one of only four AD5/A1Es still flying in the world today, and this specific model is the largest single engine airplane ever built, with an 18 cylinder 3350 cubic inch engine that produces 3020 hp. The AD-5W/EA-1E has six seats in the crew cabin and is currently owned and operated by Eric Downing, President of Midwest Wild Relics Refuge LLC, based at Creve Coeur Airport in Saint Louis, MO. Learn more about the Skyraider at Midwest Wild Relics.

Back by popular demand!

North American B-25J “Mitchell”

The B-25 was made famous by sixteen B-25s that participated in the famous raid on Tokyo led by Lt. Col. James Doolittle from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet on April 18, 1942. This was accomplished in spite of the fact that the B-25 was never envisioned or designed to take off from an aircraft carrier. This year there will be two J models, which was the last B-25 production version manufactured by North American Aviation (NAA), at the show. Almost 4,400 B-25Js were built, far more than any other model of the aircraft. The B-25J was an improved B-25H but looked like a cross between a B-25C and a B-25H, with the solid gun nose of the H model replaced by a ‘greenhouse’ with one fixed and one flexible .50-cal. machine gun in the nose for the bombardier to sit, while still retaining the four .50 cal. package guns in the fuselage.

The TB-25J on pictured above was built at the North American Aviation facility in Kansas City, KS and was ready for delivery in August 1945, but because the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) contract for B-25’s had been cancelled, the aircraft has placed in storage at Altus, OK. It was removed from storage in 1948 and assigned to Bolling Field, D.C. where it was converted to a pilot trainer and re-designated as a TB-25J. For the next 11 years it carried out pilot training duties at Bolling, Kelly, Offutt, and Wright-Patterson Air Bases, at which point in 1959 Serial Number 45-8898 was released for disposal in and stricken from USAF inventory.

Sold for surplus for $2,202 in 1959, this B-25 sat derelict in Texas until 1983 when it was purchased by a new owner and totally restored. After passing through a third owner, TB-25J 45-8898 was purchased by the Tri-State Warbird Museum in 2004.

Big, noisy on take-off and always fun to watch fly!

New to the Indianapolis Air Show!!

Boeing B-17G “Flying Fortress”

For many persons the Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” is considered to be the most famous American bomber of World War II, and during that conflict was used extensively to attack both military and industrial targets in Europe, and especially Germany. Attesting to the large scale on which the air war was fought during this conflict, over 4,700 B-17s were shot down by either anti-aircraft artillery or enemy fighters. This was 37% of all “Flying Fortresses” that were produced between 1935 and 1945.

The “Yankee Lady” is a B-17G, of which 8,680 were produced, making it the most produced model, and what is also considered to be the definitive “Flying Fort.” With its (13) .50-caliber machine guns, chin, top, ball and tail turrets; waist and cheek guns, the B-17G was indeed a “Flying Fortress”. It was also valued by the air crews that flew it into combat for its ability to withstand heavy combat damage and still return them safely home.

This will be the third year in a row the “Yankee Lady”, which is owned and operated by the Yankee Air Force from Belleville, MI, will return to The Indianapolis Air Show. This attests to her popularity among the air show crowd each year.

Yankee Lady will be giving rides during Air Show weekend. For more information contact: norm.ellickson@yankeeairmuseum.org

Lockheed PV-2 “Harpoon”

The Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon was introduced late in WWII as a follow up patrol bomber to the PV-1 Ventura, which was used extensively by both the US Navy and British as a land based anti-submarine/shipping aircraft. The Harpoon could carry up to 3,000 lbs of bombs or depth charges and normally had 5 forward (7 with the dorsal turret rotated forward) firing .50 caliber machine guns for strafing attacks. Harpoons served in the Central Pacific and in the Aleutian Islands and then later with various Naval reserve squadrons during the 1950’s.

“Hot Stuff”, the PV-2 which is owned and operated by The American Military Heritage Foundation at the Mt. Comfort Airport, makes a high speed pass. This PV-2 arrived at Mt. Comfort in early 1980 and has been flying to various air shows in the US ever since. Like many WWII aircraft that are still flying today, she had commercial uses after the war that prevented her from being scrapped and being lost forever, which in her case was to spray for insects, especially fire ants, in the southern US, before being purchased by the AMHF.

Consolidated B-24A “Liberator”

Consolidated Aircraft in San Diego, CA, began design on the B-24 in 1938 to try to improve on the performance of the Boeing B-17 which was just coming into service at the time. The B-24 incorporated the new Davis airfoil and the high aspect ratio wing design, Fowler wing flaps, the first tricycle landing gear on a heavy bomber, and distinctive twin tails.

The B-24 was employed in operations in every combat theater during World War II and because of its great range and endurance; it was particularly suited for such missions as the famous raid from North Africa against the oil industry at Ploesti, Rumania on August 1, 1943. This feature also made the airplane suitable for long over-water missions in the Pacific Theater. More than 18,000 Liberators were produced in three different locations: San Diego, TX and Ft. Worth, TX by Consolidated and at Willow Run, MI by Ford Motor Company. The Ford plant was built specifically for the mass production of the “Liberator” and also produced “kits” for assembly of the aircraft in other locations.

“Diamond Lil” is the oldest B-24 type aircraft in existence today, being the 25th off of the assembly line and actually manufactured as an LB-30 (LB designating “Liberator British) for the Royal Air Force. En route to England the aircraft suffered an accident and had to be rebuilt by Consolidated, which remanufactured her as a transport aircraft. She was then operated by Consolidated Aviation as a company transport for the duration of WWII, and after the war she was owned by Continental Can, PMEX, and finally the CAF, which purchased her in 1967. She is currently painted as a B-24 would have appeared as a bomber from the 96th Bomb Group of the 9th Army Air Force in the North African desert in 1944.

Do not miss this rare opportunity to see and hear the world’s oldest B-24 take to the air again this year at the Mt. Comfort Airport. “Diamond Lil” is owned by The Commemorative Air Force and is operated by The B-29/B-24 Squadron of the CAF out of Midland, TX and is scheduled to fly both Saturday and Sunday of Air Show weekend along with the B-17 and B-25. Do not miss this rare bomber fly-by!