B-24's Oppsss
Tue Aug 28, 2007 7:50 pm
Tue Aug 28, 2007 9:30 pm
Great shots Paul! Thanks for posting them!
Any info on the second B-24 in flight photo?
Looks like a test aircraft for the B-32 Dominator's turret system. Turrets are low profile and appear un-manned. There is a sighting blister in the right waist position, and what appears to be a camera on the left wing underside.
Very interesting photo. Love to kow the story behind it!
Jerry
Any info on the second B-24 in flight photo?
Looks like a test aircraft for the B-32 Dominator's turret system. Turrets are low profile and appear un-manned. There is a sighting blister in the right waist position, and what appears to be a camera on the left wing underside.
Very interesting photo. Love to kow the story behind it!
Jerry
Wed Aug 29, 2007 12:41 am
Ditto on the photos, Paul!
Jerry, the second airplane is actually a B-29 CFC Gunnery trainer. If you look closely, the turrets are indentical to the Superfort, including the tail turret. The tail gunner had a raised canopy that approximated the B-29 position and the waist positions have a bubble with the standard gunsight and mount for the '29. The lower forward turret is barely visible just below the bombardier station. I don't know exactly how many of these conversions were built, but there were a substantial number of B-24 airframes used for B-29 gunnery, flight engineer, and radar training due to the shortage of B-29s available for the training role. There were PLENTY of B-24s to use for initial training duties, and some crewmen have related that the Lib was actually a better training aircraft because there was more room in the fuselage than in the '29 for classroom work.
Scott
Jerry, the second airplane is actually a B-29 CFC Gunnery trainer. If you look closely, the turrets are indentical to the Superfort, including the tail turret. The tail gunner had a raised canopy that approximated the B-29 position and the waist positions have a bubble with the standard gunsight and mount for the '29. The lower forward turret is barely visible just below the bombardier station. I don't know exactly how many of these conversions were built, but there were a substantial number of B-24 airframes used for B-29 gunnery, flight engineer, and radar training due to the shortage of B-29s available for the training role. There were PLENTY of B-24s to use for initial training duties, and some crewmen have related that the Lib was actually a better training aircraft because there was more room in the fuselage than in the '29 for classroom work.
Scott