P/F-82 Drop Tank Question

[PBYCatFan]

Hello All,

Long time lurker and first time poster!

With the amazing work done on the XP-82 restoration, it got me thinking about drop tanks. What type or style of tank would be carried on a P/F-82? The record breaking Hawaii to NY flight certainly would have utilized them. I've found all kinds of info on the "Single" Mustang tanks and many other aircraft, but not the Twin. I figured if anyone would have a resource or two regarding manufacturers, flight test reports, etc. it would certainly be this group! Thanks!

[phil65]

Welcome aboard neighbor and coworker.

I'm sorry, but I don't have an answer to your question...

Phil

[JohnB]

Welcome, Have you seen this (or similar) photos of the P-82 in question with the tanks.

https://secure.boeingimages.com/archive ... F3XC5FWU6S

https://secure.boeingimages.com/archive ... FWWVV.html

The NMUSAF website shows the aircraft without the extra fuel tanks, but unless I'm mistaken and or crazy (and I might be the former but not the latter...mom had me tested), it used to be displayed with the full tank setup.

They don't look terribly familiar to me, how about to the rest of the gang?
Also, did they drop the tanks (presumably over the Pacific) during the flight?

Last edited by JohnB on Wed Feb 06, 2019 6:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Champ driver]

I don't know if any of these photos would help. Wikimedia says 310 gallon external tanks.

Attachments

[4RG.I.'S]

Also, did they drop the tanks (presumably over the Pacific) during the flight?

Interestingly, according to some info they didn't drop them which increased the time of the record breaking flight:

"Betty Jo did not stop. Betty Jo did not refuel. Betty Jo took off with a total of 1,816 gallons of fuel and used nearly every drop of it to complete the flight. Thacker and Ard’s flight is still the longest non-stop flight by a piston engine fighter and the fastest flight from Hawaii to New York by a piston engine aircraft. The flight might have been completed in even less time had the pilot jettisoned his empty drop tanks after he drained them as planned!"

https://www.avgeekery.com/good-to-the-l ... n-mustang/

[JohnTerrell]

The P-82 was capable of carrying up to four 310-gallon drop tanks, as "Betty Jo" did on the Hawaii to New York flight. Some other photos of "Betty Jo" also show it fitted with two 310-gallon tanks and two 165-gallon tanks. When I toured C&P Aviation a few years ago, they had a pair of reproduced 310-gallon tanks (massive!) which I believe were to be provided for display with "Betty Jo" at the USAF Museum (I recall that the tanks that the USAF Museum did have with the aircraft were the smaller 165-gallon type). There are a number of publicity photos that can be found online showing four of the 310-gal type tanks all lined up on their noses next to P-82 44-65160 (PQ-160), designed to illustrate just how large they were (more than 13 feet long). I've also seen some photos of some regular service F-82's carrying 150+ gallon "Misawa" style drop tanks.

During WWII, P-51D's carried a pair of; 75-gallon metal tanks, 110-gallon metal tanks, or 108-gallon and 110-gallon paper tanks. To a limited extent, there were some missions flown from Iwo Jima where P-51D's were fitted with a pair of 165-gallon metal drop tanks, for the loitering missions (capable of spending up to three-four hours in the air over Japan, as I recall) - by that point, they were using P-51D-25-NA's with beefed-up wings that could support up to 1000-lbs payload on each side.

Last edited by JohnTerrell on Wed Feb 06, 2019 8:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[martin_sam_2000]

I was always under the impression that one of the sets were P-61 tanks. I thinker the inner smaller ones were P-38 tanks tanks and the larger outer ones were the P-61 ones.

As for operational aircraft, the tanks look a lot like what the P-38 carried, may have been old WWII stock of those

But, in my defense, my memory has been known to fail me!!

Sean

[Invader26]

Great story on the P-82 and 'Betty Joe'...

Betty Jo took off with a total of 1,816 gallons of fuel and used nearly every drop of it to complete the flight.

I flew my B-25 from Stockton to Honolulu in 1983. We had 1,960 gallons of fuel and landed with 45 gallons and the rest fumes! Character building I'd say...

We ran into major headwinds and weather enroute in the days before GPS.

[sandiego89]

This post got me looking at the record setting flight for Betty Jo- wow 14.5 hours in a P-82- and my but gets sore after 2 hours in a 737 seat.....

I also note that none of the survivors are fitted with the "long dong" radar pod as none could be found. Think it would be great if one could be fabricated.

[Dan K]

Hello All,

...What type or style of tank would be carried on a P/F-82?...

According to the Flight Operating Instructions for the F-82E (and I´m going to assume then also for F-82F/G), I quote from page 14:


To supplement the main fuel supply, one 110, 165, or 310-gallon drop tank can be installed under each outer wing panel.


http://www.avialogs.com/index.php/en/ai ... craft.html


So, was the P-82B actually equipped with the necessary plumbing for four drop tanks, or was ¨Betty Jo(e)¨ the only Twin Mustang ever modified to do so?

[OD/NG]

Great story on the P-82 and 'Betty Joe'...

Betty Jo took off with a total of 1,816 gallons of fuel and used nearly every drop of it to complete the flight.

I flew my B-25 from Stockton to Honolulu in 1983. We had 1,960 gallons of fuel and landed with 45 gallons and the rest fumes! Character building I'd say...

We ran into major headwinds and weather enroute in the days before GPS.

Wow, that is extremely tight! Seeing as how the B-25 normally carries 974 gallons and you had 1816, how did you carry the extra fuel? I'm assuming you had some kind of aux or "Tokyo" tanks, then? How was the setup for the extra fuel tanks? Did you guys have to build or install anything that was not originally made by North American?

[PBYCatFan]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I did not think my first post would elicit much of a response!

Noodling around on the interwebs, I found these photos of various drop tanks. The long skinny white ones look P/F-82ish. I found a google image picture of an F-82 in flight with very similar tanks, but I cant seem to find it now.

IMG_5618.JPG (132.45 KiB) Viewed 1537 times

[PBYCatFan]

[PBYCatFan]

[Dan K]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I did not think my first post would elicit much of a response!

Noodling around on the interwebs, I found these photos of various drop tanks. The long skinny white ones look P/F-82ish. I found a google image picture of an F-82 in flight with very similar tanks, but I cant seem to find it now.

IMG_5618.JPG

IMG_5619.JPG

Something like this?