This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:59 pm
WOW!!! Fantastic stuff... even has a Bendix mid-upper turret too... so rare to see that. I love the life raft compartment too. I've spent a fair bit of time in B-25's and never seen that before. Very cool. Can't wait to see this fly again... a sure Oshkosh winner!
Cheers,
Richard
Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:48 pm
Could it be this one
44-30302, FAV 3898 Under restoration (also reported as 44-30203) ?
from Aero Vintage.
Tue Aug 25, 2009 8:50 pm
Wow,that looks first rate.I like how you can break the back and work on it in sections yet still roll the bird around.Beautiful job.
Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:15 pm
Thanks for posting the pics. This is the stuff I most enjoy about WIX. We wouldn't get a glimpse at a fraction of these projects otherwise.
Chunks
Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:27 pm
Yes! Very cool, thanks for posting these.
Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:36 am
I doubt that interior paint is the original color since it is a glossy finish.
Wed Aug 26, 2009 10:21 am
Thanks Taigh! It's looking great. Do you know what marking's his Dad's aircraft carried?
Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:07 am
Great pictures! Thanks for sharing them. I'm particularly happy to see the image of the complete upper turret assembly. My wife and I recently donated, to the So. California wing of the CAF, what we believed to be the drive assembly for the Bendix turret used in some B-25s. My dad, who was in the navy during WWII, used this to turn his ham radio antennas for as long as I can remember. He had always told me it was from a navy bomber of some type but I was never sure. He was stationed at Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle, Washington for the duration. So you know where he got it. Unfortunately the turret in the PBJ the So. Cal. folks are restoring is a Martin unit so they didn't need the Bendix drive that is now in their museum.
At any rate, I'm really happy to see the photo of the Bendix turret. The drive unit at the bottom of the stack is exactly the same as what we donated. It's nice to finally see and confirm what we had came from a B-25.....
Thanks again!
Greg
Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:58 pm
Thank you Taigh for positng. That is one of the few B-25s I haven't seen in person.
Ryan
Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:22 pm
That airplane has come a long way since Lynn took me to it's hangar and shared it with me 4 or 5 years ago. And you're right, Lynn's one of the good guys! Glad to know it's progressing nicely.
There are original components intact on this airplane that even Carl Scholl was unaware they existed.
Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:34 pm
a little more info please; when did mr. hunt get this plane? did it fly here from south america, or was it shipped? and the most IMPORTANT:: when will he bring it to TEXAS? get her flying soon, and if you can't bring her to Texas i'm sure the guys here on WIX will share some great pics. it looks GREAT, good job.
Fri Aug 28, 2009 6:59 pm
I've been a long-time reader of WIX but this is my first post. Thought I'd respond to some of the questions about a certain B-25. The correct S/n is 44-30203 (got the data plate) and it has been mis-construed to be 30302 but I think it's a typo. It came back to the US in two open-top containers with DEA following not too far behind but that's another story. I found it down in Venezuela. It was missing lots of parts but made up for that in spades with more original equipment still in it than I'd ever seen, including all of the armor plate and a tail turret. It was also filled to the gills with corrosion which has kept me entertained and broke for the last 15 years. The restoration goal is to bring it back to original condition as close as possible given a limited budget and a slowly diminishing set of skills. I can't begin to tell you how much fun this is and how indebted I am to guys like Taigh who suffer from the same defective chromosome and still put up with the nagging questions and phone calls. I'll keep plugging away, no date set, it's more about the journey than the destination.
Regards to all of you sick, twisted warbird lovers everywhere.
Lynn
Fri Aug 28, 2009 7:14 pm
Welcome to the Nuthouse. Such a great project you have there. I really look forward to updates as she comes back together. So many B-25s have been so gutted that it is hard to tell what a REAL B-25 config should be. Good Luck
Chris
aka Holedigger
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