Where did the Consolidated B-32 Ball turrent go ?

[CAPFlyer]

That might be a top turret, but we have a ball turret.

Here's the pictures -

[Steve Nelson]

That's definately a B-32 nose/tail turret. Interesting interior color..looks like some kind of tan. I've never seen that on a US aircraft before.

I've got the Schiffer book..IIRC it says the only remaining Dominator bits are the aformentioned wing panel, the turret in the NASM collection, and an instrument panel owned by a private collector.

SN

[Canso42]

The first turret shown looks like an Emerson unit like late Liberator noses and like on the tail installation of Lone Star's PB4Y-2. Comments?
Canso42

[Steve Nelson]

That one looks like a regular old Martin upper turret to me (which was used on the B-24 and B-32, as well as many other types.)

The tail turret on the PB4Y-2 and B-24 was always a Consolidated type. As far as I know, Emersons were only used on the nose.


SN

[B29Gunner]

That's a good looking A-17 you guys have there CAPFlyer! There is also one here in GA, I believe it came out of TX as well

[Chris Brame]

My old photos of the wing are near the bottom of this thread:

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... light=otay

[astixjr]

Hmmm.....
So if the nose and tail turret on the B-32 were both Sperry A-17s and the two upper deck turrets were Martin 250s, was the lower Sperry ball turret the same basic ball turret used on the B-24/PB4Y and B-17? I guess I need to purchase a copy of Mr. Wolf's book. The small "what's inside" images show the ball turret but it's hard to make out any detail. Something looks different about the B-32's ball turret. Anyone have better photos or images? Thanks,

[mustangdriver]

So is that where the wing is now?

[mustangdriver]

I have heard some stories from veterans about the B-32 that were not good. One vet at the museum told me that when the contract ended, they were taking B-32's straight from the factory and taxiing them accross the strret to a scrap yard, and that they had one that had an engine fall off on the way over. I heard another from a vet that came through Air Heritage years ago, and he said that one guy in their outfit hated the B-32 so much, that when the war ended, he ran out, grabed a bull dozer, and drove though the forward fuselage. I don't know if those sories are 100 true or not, but that is how they were told to me.

[retroaviation]

The turret here in Midland is a Martin turret, based on the big Martin logo still on it. Other than that, I don't know much else about it.

Gary

[Second Air Force]

mustangdriver,

Quite a few B-32s were ferried direct from Fort Worth to Walnut Ridge after a quick acceptance flight, and those that were in final assembly (around thirty airframes) were simply scrapped at the Convair plant. Note that the first airplane in this photo is line number 126, and it was most likely flown to Walnut Ridge without acceptance. (Convair photo)


The official number of complete Dominators is given at 116, but it seems that several airplanes were sent to Walnut Ridge or Kingman without officially being accepted by the AAF, so the total actually flown may be higher. The airplanes in this photo were all used as crew trainers.


The instance of an engine "falling off" was caused by taxiing too fast over rough ground on the way to a parking spot at the Kingman WAA storage yard. This is a TB-32 from Fort Worth AAF. (Bill Larkins photo)


I doubt that many crewmembers found the airplane very appealing with it's tendency for gear collapses and quality control problems in the earlier airplanes. With enough time it probably would have been a pretty good airplane, but fortunately the war ended before that happened.

Scott

[Glen]

Thanks to everyone that responded to my I had no idea of just how much knowlege is in here Thanks again I really have injoyed all that I have learn and seen on this page Keep em flying

Glen

[ww2John]

Scott,

Many thanks for these terrific B32 pix AND the explanation behind the engine 'situation" (that confirms what I had heard earlier, elsewhere).

[Second Air Force]

If you want to see a few more B-32 Walnut Ridge shots go tohttp://www.walnutridge-aaf.com/. The folks there have a neat museum dedicated to telling the whole story of the Base during WWII and the WAA disposal functions after the war. There are a couple of books about the B-32 out there as well, one is "Dominator - The Story of the Consolidated B-32 Bomber" by Stephen Harding and James I. Long. The other book is either brand new or has yet not been published, but I have seen reference to it on the internet. Also, Bill Larkins documented the airplanes that ended up at Kingman in several great photos.

[Canso42]

Chris,
I went back and looked at your pix of the B-32 wing at the aviation memorial. That's just a bit weird. Is it still there today?
Since most of what I know of B-32's has been learned since this thread was opened, what were its basic specs? You know, length, wingspan, etc. What engines did it use? They look big with four blade props. R2800's or big Cyclones? The nacelles look like the ones on a 29 but it seems like I read once that several promising aircraft designs were stillborn since all available R-3350 production was earmarked for B-29's. Fact or fiction?
I have a shelf full of a/c reference books and only two even mention Dominators. One just has a paragraph simply noting its existence and one has a painting of two Dom's getting jumped by fighters on the last day of the war.

Canso42.