Aircraft ID please...large images

[clangjr]

1.


2.


3.

[Ztex]

1. B-26
2. A-26
3. A-20

[Forgotten Field]

1. THE REAL B-26.

2. That other airplane

3. You've got number one, so this one doesn't matter

Disgruntled B-26 afficionado...

[clangjr]

My father worked at Martin (and the different following divisions) for 25 years, so I am particularly interested in the B-26 as well. He had nothing to do with the manufacture of the planes, but being from Baltimore, having my Dad work there, I've got a lot of interest in them as well.

I am having a heck of a time finding a good high res original b&w photo that will print at 11x14.
Chuck

[Mudge]

If I'm not mistaken, The B-26 was nicknamed "The Widowmaker" because it was difficult to fly (or thought to be by many pilots) and had more than a few fatal crashes.
That was, until Jimmie Doolittle came to Baltimore and "wrung" one out for the assembled pilots to watch. After that, I guess the pilots "applied" themselves to learning how to fly it at optimum performance. Turned out to be a good airplane.
Met a guy at MAAM last year that had flown 'em in WWII. He said he loved the airplane. That it just took a little extra skill to fly it properly.

Mudge the unskilled

[bipe215]

And then there's the story of Bob Hoover whipping a P-40 with a stripped down B-26.

Steve G

[hang the expense]

Another name for the 26 was Baltimore whore,no visiable means of support.Short wing bird.Worked on dave Tallichets 26 for a few years and loved that airplane.What a hotrod!

[congobob]

#1 is an interesting shot. It looks like an early B model since it lacks the prop spinners seen on the A models and does not have the enlarged carburetor intakes on top of the cowl which were added starting with the B-3. I've always loved this plane and its really too bad there are so few left.
I have a funny story associated with them. When I was a kid my dad and I used to travel around the west during the summers and go to air museums. We were at chino one year and saw a green airplane on the other side of the field. Walking up to it I recognized it as a B-26. There was a veteran B-26 bombardier there with his wife, taking pictures of the plane. He suggested we climb up inside so I did and sat down in the pilot seats. As he was entering the plane a man came running up wondering what the heck we thought we were doing (remember the past thread on the general public climbing on warbirds?), but the bombardier started talking to him, assuaging his concerns. Being a kid I don't think I quite grasped how freaking special it was to be inside that plane. The old bombardier took a picture of me while sitting there. I got it in the mail a few months later. Its one of those special moments you wish you could relieve again.
As it turns out this was N4297Jone of the B-26As that crashed up in canada and was being restored by Aero Trader. Its now at the Fantasy of Flight. I wonder if they'll ever fly it again :\

[Ztex]

The B-26 is a sexy machine...I caught the Weeks machine in Denton, TX when they were delivering it to Florida ... way cool.