B-17's and B-24's usage after WW2

[Pat Carry]

B-17's saw quite extensive service after WW2 as mapping platforms, water rescue aircraft and drones among other uses. You never hear about B-24's being used in similar capacities. Was the B-24 used for anything after the war?

[The Inspector]

Siding, cooking pots, lawn furniture, 14 ft. fishing boats-a very few used as flying test beds for new fangled jet engine thingies, but mostly straight to the furnaces.
The Davis airfoil had some tricky handling issues. I know Consolidated converted one into the 'LIBERTYLINER' with an extruded by the yard fuselage that resembled a huge aluminum marital aid and AMERICAN AIRLINES used it as a flying mail car for about 2 weeks. They didn't call it 'The box a B-17 was sent in' for no reason.

[k5083]

The one that went to Lackland soldiered on as a test bed for a while postwar. I think it was the last in US military service.

As far as operational service, it seems like the US picked one to continue in peacetime from each category (Fort not Lib, P-51 not 47 or 38, Corsair not Hellcat, B-25 not B-26, etc.), made a halfhearted effort to farm the losers out to client states, and that accounts for a lot of what survived to dribble into the civil market later.

There was hurricane duty for the PB4Ys, then fire bombing in civvy life.

If your question was not implicitly limited to the US, a few were used postwar as transports by Canada and of course bombers by India, Republic of China, a few others.

Besides the CAF's, some others were used as corporate transports.

It was not a well loved plane by anybody, even though there's an argument that it should have completely replaced the B-17 in the heavy bombing role.

August

[Steve Nelson]

Several went "south of the border" as freight hogs. I think that's where the airframe now on display at Castle AFB came from. And of course the CAF B-24's last civil operator was PEMEX, the Mexican National Oil Company. I don't recall the specifics, but I recall some wealthy explorer outfitted one for survey flights in the Far East (apparently he even considered using a B-32 at one point.)

As an aside, the Liberator Liner actually used the wings and tail of the Privateer..grafted onto afuselage based on the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.



SN

[WallyB]

Does this count?

(Ed Coates Collection)

OK it's a C-87, but then so is "Diamond Lil"
Qantas, BOAC, Scottish Airlines and Hellenic all used C-87s/LB-30s post-war. The Scottish ones participated in the Berlin Airlift, some sources referring to them as B-24Ds.

[bombadier29]

OK it's a C-87, but then so is "Diamond Lil"

Actually that is Diamond Lil in the picture. But Diamond is really a B-24A. People try to dispute that but there is really no dispute that can hold water.

[John Dupre]

On a related note when were the B-24 and B-17 retired from US service in their intended role? Aug 45? Did they see service in show the flag roles in Europe and Asia after the surrender?

[SaxMan]

LB-30 N92MK was used by the Morris-Knudsen Company until the late 1950s when it was damaged in a landing accident. It was pushed to the side of the runway and sat there for years. Somewhere along the line, Don Whittington took ownership of it. Last time I checked, the remains were still being stored at the Downtown Ft. Collins Airport, but it's been quite some time since I heard anything about the bird.

[WallyB]

Actually that is Diamond Lil in the picture. But Diamond is really a B-24A. People try to dispute that...

Does that include the CAF?

[maxum96]

Actually that is Diamond Lil in the picture. But Diamond is really a B-24A. People try to dispute that...

Does that include the CAF?

[bombadier29]

Does that include the CAF?

No, mostly the Collings Foundation. And people who only get their information out of 40 year old books and magazines, rather than any current research.

[Mike]

As far as operational service, it seems like the US picked one to continue in peacetime from each category (Fort not Lib, P-51 not 47 or 38, Corsair not Hellcat, B-25 not B-26, etc.), made a halfhearted effort to farm the losers out to client states, and that accounts for a lot of what survived to dribble into the civil market later.

The P-47 (later F-47) served with ANG units until the mid-50s

[JimH]

OK it's a C-87, but then so is "Diamond Lil"

Actually that is Diamond Lil in the picture. But Diamond is really a B-24A. People try to dispute that but there is really no dispute that can hold water.

My type rating says LB-30...it can only be traced back to this airframe. B-24's drop bombs out of a bombay...LB-30's roll them out the cargo door.

jh

[famvburg]

Didn't the Privateer and R2Y still use the Davis airfoil? Did their longer fuselages have anything to do with improving flying characteristics? Privateers stayed in military use until the early '60s, didn't they? I wuole think that same handling issues wouldn't make for a good firebomber, unless a lot of extra horsepower also helped things.

[bdk]

...and of course bombers by India, Republic of China, a few others.

Any idea how many were used by China? I've seen the remains of one (a wing).