Bomber questions: B-25 & A-26

[mlenoch]

Regards to take offs & landings, are there any restrictions about people/crew occupying the glass nose section of these 2 bombers? Policies forbidding this from the FAA/insurance/owners?? Just curious.
Thanks,
VL

[retroaviation]

Don't know if this helps, but it's okay in the B-29. The main thing is that there is a seat there with seatbelts, so that keeps 'em happy. To my knowledge, we've never had an issue with passengers in the front of that particular airplane. And there are no limitations to it in the operation handbook.

Last edited by retroaviation on Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:40 am, edited 2 times in total.

[Trey Carroll]

I think in the Green Dragon it was just the fact that if the nose-wheel gave way being in the nose would be really dangerous. I guess insurance could have some play in there as well.

tc

[Jack Cook]

Never ever should anyone be in the nose during take-off or landings. We never allow it and to my knowledge no other B-25 we've flown with allows it. If the nose wheel shimmy dampner fails most likely the nose gear will fail and you WILL DIE! It's also in the AF manual for the a/c that no one be in the nose except during flight. I've had to practically drag people out of there who ignored our briefing on that because it's so cool.
I've heard the Yank's allows this on their B-25D but they're playing with fire and will enentually get burned.

[Jack Cook]

Here's a link to a previous thread on this very topic. Check out the pictures, they are down right scary seeing someone up there.
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1593&highlight=b25d+yankee+warrior
Here's in bold JCW's words to live by
-1 flight manual states that no occupants in the nose or tail for T/O. I will never allow anyone in either of these seats on the one I fly as I am way to close to retirement and have no intention of starting over....
I love the quote from the story
I tried the tunnel a couple of times to get the feel of it, and then shoved my camera bag ahead of me as I made my final entrance into the nose. There was a small jump seat attached to the bulkhead with a homemade cushion on it. All the comforts of home. The seat belt appeared to be original equipment – a green, heavy, wide, canvas, webbed belt with not much more than a hook and eye closure. One of the ground crew slid forward to give me the last minute pre-flight instruction. Not exactly like the cabin instructions on a passenger aircraft. He first adjusted the altimeter on the console to my left. He asked if I had the seat belt on, and then showed me how to remove the side escape hatch in the event of an emergency belly landing. Right! Me crawl through that little window. I guess the fear of death could get me through it.

[/quote]

[DougR]

I never allow anyone in the nose for T/O and Ldg for all the stated reasons, and one more, if you have an engine failure before 145 mph in a B-25, you may abort and go farming. Anyone in the nose would be the first one to the scene of the accident

Tailwinds,
Doug Rozendaal

[RickH]

Occupancy in the nose of the A-26 is prohibited during takeoff or landing. This is mentioned in the flight manual if I remember correctly. The A-26 nosewhell has been known to fail, it is rather delicate. If it fails, you die. Pretty simple.

I thought the same prohibition was in the B-25 manual.

[Jack Cook]

I thought the same prohibition was in the B-25 manual.

It is!!

[RickH]

Sorry, Jack. I missed that in your post.