Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 7:13 pm Posts: 5645 Location: Minnesota, USA
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Joe Scheil wrote: Great pictures....some Inglewood too. Some random serial number stuff...
Last picture, the color one, shows a great lineup of B-25G, P-51B and SBD aircraft that are brand new. Interestingly 43-4432 is shown being prepped for delivery and she is still with us today flying as “Berlin Express” albiet masquerading as a B-25J. A rare subtype of the B-25, the G was equipped with the 75mm cannon and I think they did not get many hours put on them. Many were surpluses, converted and flew in a variety of roles. Perhaps one day she will go back to “stock”... Joe, I think you meant to write that the last photo shows a great lineup of B-25 H Mitchells. Here's what the Baugher site has on B-25H-5 43-4432: 4432 (MSN 98-21433) taken on strength on Dec 28, 1943 and flown to the modification center at Fairfax Army Air Field, KS, for two months of work. From early February through the end of March 1945 the plane traveled back and forth as an administrative aircraft between the modification center at Fairfax and several other bases, and then it was assigned to Lowry Army Air Field in Denver, CO. From then on until it was retired, the plane was assigned to several bases in Washington and California, returning to Fairfax twice in late 1944. On Nov 1, 1945 the plane was sent to Altus Army Air Field, OK, for storage, and in 1946 was turned over to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation at Altus. The plane was sold to Joe Zappa/Delta Drilling Co. of Dallas, TX on Jun 25, 1947 and registered N90399. It was then passed through three other owners before being purchased in February 1952 by Mechanical Productions, Inc, of Jackson, MI, who registered it as N10V. In September 1952 the cannon nose was replaced by a standard B-25J 8-gun nose, and a couple months later low drag wingtips were installed. In October 1955 it was sold to Husky Oil Co. of Cody, WY, and several executive modifications were made, including the installation of an air stair and pointed tail cone. After five more owners the plane was acquired by Tallmantz Aviation of Orange County, CA, in September 1968, and then sold to Filmways Inc of Hollywood, CA who used it in the 1970 movie, “Catch-22.” Registration N410V was a film serial, presumably mistaken for a US registration. In May 1971 it was sold to Sherman Cooper of Merced, CA, and one year later he donated the plane to the EAA Aviation Foundation of Oshkosh, WI. From 1975 to 1985 the plane went through a complete restoration and a standard B-25J glass nose was installed. Now with Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, WI as N10V.
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