Dragon in the Bayou

[the330thbg]

and a little comment gets blown out of proportion.... Time for me to join other friends...

Have a great Holiday Season

Mark H

Oh.., do not be sore .., this is WIX.., this stuff goes on ALL the time here!

[cooper9411]

Can't we all just get along?

[Rocketeer]

The exhaust stacks on this B-23 don't seem to protrude out as far as the ones on N747M. Interesting...

[gary1954]

That is a nice photo!
What year do you think it was taken?

I thought the same thing man, gawd I love old photos

[The Inspector]

Different airframes, N (R) 49548 l/n2753 v. N(R)53253 l/n 2719 different operators with different situations, and Hughes was inveterate tinkerer

[Pat Carry]

Can't we all just get along?

Boy you said it Paul.

[Pat Carry]

Where are all the surviving B-23's now?

[Rocketeer]

According to wikipedia-

On display
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0036 is on display at the McChord Air Museum in McChord AFB, Washington.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0045 is on display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0051 is on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Mostly complete (Crash sites, etc.)
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-052 is a largely complete wreck at Loon Lake, Idaho.

Under restoration
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0033 is under restoration to airworthiness by Pissed Away N747M LLC in Bellevue, Washington.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0037 is under restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0038 is under restoration at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group in Geneseo, New York.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0046 is under restoration to airworthiness by E. M. Luke in Franklin, Louisiana.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0057 is under restoration to airworthiness by Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

I'm not certain if all the surviving B-23s are accounted for. Is N53253 really based in Louisiana, or is it just represented there on paper?

[Pat Carry]

According to wikipedia-

On display
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0036 is on display at the McChord Air Museum in McChord AFB, Washington.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0045 is on display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0051 is on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

Mostly complete (Crash sites, etc.)
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-052 is a largely complete wreck at Loon Lake, Idaho.

Under restoration
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0033 is under restoration to airworthiness by Pissed Away N747M LLC in Bellevue, Washington.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0037 is under restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0038 is under restoration at the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group in Geneseo, New York.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0046 is under restoration to airworthiness by E. M. Luke in Franklin, Louisiana.
B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0057 is under restoration to airworthiness by Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.

I'm not certain if all the surviving B-23s are accounted for. Is N53253 really based in Louisiana, or is it just represented there on paper?

Thanks!

[Rocketeer]

No problem.

[The Inspector]

39-0036 in the Museum @JBLM used to belong to the University of Washington and was used for weather and cloud research. It suffered a gear collapse in the Southwest on landing a couple decades+ ago and was traded to the USAF in exchange for a C-131/ALLISON 580 which has since been disposed of because of budgetary cuts @ the U. It's out there somewhere and should be easy to spot being festooned with clearview blisters, it flew lots of observation missions over Kuwait after Gulf 1 looking @ oil rig polution from fires set.

[WallyB]

I'm not certain if all the surviving B-23s are accounted for.

N777LW isn't included even though it's actually a UC-67 (39-0063). Last seen personally at Moses Lake but I believe it's now in Alaska ?

[The Inspector]

I think we just did a hide and go seek on that one a couple of months ago didn't we? and came to no solid conclusions, 'twernt in Alasky nor Mozes Hole. I know! it's hangered next to the B-32 on the Moon.

[gary1954]

B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-0057 is under restoration to airworthiness by Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida Tis airframe has been under restoration since it got dropped on the railroad tracks during *snaps fingers* which hurricane.....the center section was at one time being rebuilt in Griffin, GA.

B-23 Dragon, s/n 39-052 is a largely complete wreck at Loon Lake, Idaho. as of 2008 as seen in a youtube video, looks like the area had been scorched by fire, so....whats left of the bomber?
according to
http://www.thebackpacker.com/trails/id/trail_350.php
As a side note, at the left end (near the inlet)of the lake a WWII bomber sits near the shore in the forest. It seems that it crashed in a snowstorm and the crew was discovered two weeks later after hiking out to McCall.

Found some pictures on the net.
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/b23p3.htm

Last edited by gary1954 on Tue Dec 20, 2011 5:29 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Rocketeer]

Here is a picture of N777LW in what appears to be a large, old hangar at presumably Grant Co International Airport (MWH). I do not know when this photo was taken, but it seems to be recent.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/614492L.html


Mentioning that N777LW is a UC-67 brings up another question: can all UC-67s be considered B-23s since they were are all originally built as B-23s?