Unusual B-24 ...

[Mark Allen M]

... well unusual to me anyway. A bit of research states this was a Convair/Ford B-24M Liberator. The first B-24Ms were delivered in October of 1944. Convair/San Diego built 916 B-24Ms and Ford/Willow Run built 1677. From Block 20 onward, the pilot's canopy was completely reworked, which greatly improved visibility from the flight deck.

B-24M 44-41986 was used by the NACA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio for testing of the effects of icing on jet engines and on antenna and radomes. In one such test, in 1946 the plane was modified with a General Electric I-16 jet engine in the waist compartment, with a large air scoop built on top of the fuselage and the exhaust exiting at the former tail-gunner's position. A set of spray masts mounted aft of the cockpit controlled the water ingestion into the engine.

[Mark Allen M]

Per the NMUSAF fact sheets: The M model was the last production version in the B-24 series. It was essentially an L model with some additional weight saving features. The tail turret was standardized to the lightweight power operated A-6B type. The enclosed waist gunner positions of the B-24L were changed back to open positions on the M. The cockpit canopy was modified on late model B-24Ms by adding a "knife-edge" dual pane front wind screen. This change gave the pilots much better visibility.

More than 2,500 B-24Ms were built at Consolidated's San Diego plant and Ford's Willow Run facility between December 1944 and June 1945. Because the war was over in Europe and nearly over in the Pacific at the end of the production run, some late model B-24Ms were scrapped with only ferry time between the assembly plant and the scrap yard.


Consolidated B-24M-20-FO (S/N 44-51228), used for icing research as EZB-24M. Assigned to the Wright Air Development Center - Aero Icing Research Laboratory, this was the last B-24 in service with the USAF. (U.S. Air Force photo)


Consolidated B-24M-30-FO (S/N 44-51922), the seventh to last M model built. (U.S. Air Force photo)

[Mark Allen M]

This set of photos is unusual in a sense and connected to the thread perhaps by the fact (and I'm going to use a bit of leeway as I'm not exactly sure) This B-24J "Bolivar" (B-24J serial 42-72994) of the 27 Bomb Squadron, 30th BG survived 81 combat missions. A few internet sources state she crash-landed at Vultee Field in Los Angeles during a War Bond tour on 10 November 1944, and another states she over-shot the runway at Hickam Field HI 9 November 1944. At any rate I'm going to assume the B-24M 44-42151 "Bolivar Jr." of the 431st Bomb Sq, 11th BG may have replaced the original "Bolivar".






Looks more like the Los Angeles area than Hawaii










Major General Robert W. Douglass, Jr. (Right) And Colonel Lawrence J. Carr Watch The Consolidated B-24 Liberator 'Bolivar Jr.' As It Taxies To Hardstand On Saipan, Marianas Islands, 19 May 1945.




The Consolidated B-24 Liberator 'Bolivar Jr.' Flies Towards Harmon Field , Guam, Marianas Islands On 6 June 1945.

[tulsaboy]

Is it wrong of me to note that Gary could have fixed that?
kevin

[Warbird Kid]

Is it wrong of me to note that Gary could have fixed that?
kevin

No… no it is not.

Dam.n I miss that guy.

Last edited by Warbird Kid on Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[daviemax]

... well unusual to me anyway. A bit of research states this was a Convair/Ford B-24M Liberator. The first B-24Ms were delivered in October of 1944. Convair/San Diego built 916 B-24Ms and Ford/Willow Run built 1677. From Block 20 onward, the pilot's canopy was completely reworked, which greatly improved visibility from the flight deck.

B-24M 44-41986 was used by the NACA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio for testing of the effects of icing on jet engines and on antenna and radomes. In one such test, in 1946 the plane was modified with a General Electric I-16 jet engine in the waist compartment, with a large air scoop built on top of the fuselage and the exhaust exiting at the former tail-gunner's position. A set of spray masts mounted aft of the cockpit controlled the water ingestion into the engine.

Thanks so much Mark. You certainly have rich sources of intriguing photos. I've never seen this modified B-24 in any other source after a lifetime of study.

[Mark Allen M]

Of course your all very welcome, I'm just here to learn more about these old machines and help supply some learning material
And yes it would have been nice to have both Gary Austin and Bill "The Inspector" around to lend a hand in 'fixing' and 'teaching' .... They both were masters at what they knew.

As long as I'm not burning you guys out I'll keep it up ... what else do I have to do, work for a living?

[K5DH]

Regarding the B-24 used as a jet engine test bed, I recall seeing pictures of an A-26 Invader that was similarly modified. Or, at least I think I recall...

[Mark Allen M]

Regarding the B-24 used as a jet engine test bed, I recall seeing pictures of an A-26 Invader that was similarly modified. Or, at least I think I recall...

I think you did Dean, I'd say it was this one perhaps?


Douglas XA-26F 44-34586 Oakland Airport, May 1949






Per NMUSAF fact sheets: The XA-26F was the third aircraft in a series of improved A-26s. All three aircraft were designed for a more powerful version of the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engine. The XA-26D was an updated B-26B (solid gun-nose type), the XA-26E was an updated B-26C (clear bombardier's nose) and the XA-26F was essentially an XA-26D design with a General Electric J31 turbojet engine mounted in the rear fuselage.

The jet engine was mounted just behind the wing. The air intake for the jet was mounted on top of the fuselage in place of the dorsal gun barbette. The ventral gun barbette was also removed to make room for the engine itself. The jet exhaust pipe ran through the aft fuselage and out the tail between the horizontal stabilizers. The fuel tank for the jet was installed in the bomb bay and restricted the aircraft to strafing missions only.

Since the project was initially intended to test the jet engine, all forward armament was removed. As testing continued, the forward guns were reinstalled. Eight .50-cal. machine guns were mounted in the nose and the wings had six more internal .50-cal. machine guns. The standard three-blade propellers were replaced with four blade versions and large prop spinners were added to improve streamlining.

The XA-26F had a top speed of about 435 mph with all three engines operating at full power. The XA-26D (basically the same airplane without the jet) had a top speed of 405 mph. The performance increase of the XA-26F over the XA-26D was judged insufficient to warrant production and the program was canceled after completion of testing.

[b747cf]

The XA-26F was converted back to a standard A-26 configuration. The last time I saw it was at George T Baker Aviation school in Miami around 1969 -1970 where we scrapped it.


Mark

[Snake45]

Was the intake on that XA-26F torched off a P-51 or F-82, or does it just happen to look like it?

[Mark Allen M]

The XA-26F was converted back to a standard A-26 configuration. The last time I saw it was at George T Baker Aviation school in Miami around 1969 -1970 where we scrapped it.

painful!!!

Looks like "ole 986" had several post-war uses.




"Used as a test aircraft by the NACA Lewis Research Center (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, now NASA) near Cleveland, Ohio, in the immediate post-war period. The plane had many other structural modifications in the course of its career at Lewis, including a variety of nose configurations. In this photo, the plane has a jet engine installed in the rear fuselage."
Info: Al Blue

[Invader26]

The ex-RAAF Liberator being restored near Melbourne is an M model..

[gary1954]

42-32281 B-25C-10 re-designated as XB-25E Flamin' Maimie was modified for anti-icing research

The XB-25E was a standard production B-25C-10 (serial number 42-32281) modified for anti-icing research. The carburetor air intake duct was fared internally into the top of the cowling and an anti-icing air intake was mounted at the bottom. Each row of cylinders exhausted through a separate ex-changer, one ported outboard and one inboard of each nacelle. Ram air from the lower cowling duct was routed underneath the engine to a split duct, each side of which was directed to one of the heat exchangers. Air admitted to these heat ex-changers was directed through a series of gates that allowed diversion of heated air either to the anti-icing system or out the exhaust. A complex system of ducting led the hot air to the outer wing leading edges and also into the fuselage and to the leading edges of the tail. It was intended that the temperature of the hot air would be sufficiently high that ice on the wing leading edge surfaces would be vaporized rather than melted, which would have prevented water from flowing aft and then freezing again on flaps and ailerons.

The airplane was completed early in 1944 and first flown on February 4 by test pilot Joe Barton. The plane carried the name "Flaming Mamie", chosen because of the tendency for an engine to catch fire when it was started. The heated wing system did do an effective job of DE-icing, but it proved to be very costly and was not adopted for production. Conventional de-icing boots continued in general use.

The plane was deliberately crashed, along with a lot of other planes, in a program to develop fire extinguishing systems for aircraft.

[AURktman]

...

I wonder what the rate of climb was on that B-24??