B-25 N9753Z and N9754Z

[CoastieJohn]

I just watched In Harms Way again. I was curious about the "PBJ" in it and did a little looking around for the aircraft that were used for the movie. There are of course some threads on the two aircraft.

The question....what aircraft is currently sitting at the PAM and which one went to Chino for repair? Specifically N9753Z. What I'm reading in the two threads below and what I see in the N9753Z registry has me a little confused about what transpired. Did the N9753Z go from Hickam/PAM to Chino and then back to PAM?? Or did N9753Z go somewhere else? If so, then the registry has incorrect info. Thoughts???

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... ght=#89830

http://aerovintage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=159
(A post at Aero vintage)

Re: An update on the former Hickam AFB B-25
Postby kennygee » Sun Jan 05, 2014 9:10 am

I don't recall ever seeing a B-17 on the lawn at Hickam however there was a Douglas A-26C Invader park right next to the B-25. From the looks of Google maps the A-26 is still there albeit I bet in terrible shape. I talk to former PAM director Alan Palmer and he did confirm that Hickam's B-25 was in terrible shape when they got it and had little choice but to trade it out for another B-25 which they turned into a display for the Doolittle raider diorama inside their hanger.



N9754Z
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b25regis ... 30478.html

Delivered to U.S. Army Air Force as 44-30478, 19??.
Transferred to Royal Canadian AF as 5219.
- BOC: November 21, 1951
- SOC: February 16, 1962.
Carispac Air Transport Ltd, Alberta, Canada, circa 1961.
Ocean Marine Corp, Seattle, WA, November 1961-1962.
- Registered as N9754Z.
L. Frederick Pack Associates Hawaii Ltd, Honolulu, HI, March 1962-1969.
- Shipped to Hawaii circa 1964.
- Used in filming of In Harm's Way.
- Stolen by intoxicated pilot, flew low over Waikiki at night.
-- Damaged when struck radio tower, landed back at Honolulu May 7, 1965.
-- Pilot arrested.
- Parked unrepaired, Honolulu, 1965-1969.
- Wrecked during filming of Tora Tora Tora, NAS Barbers Point, HI, March 1969.
-- Converted to cosmetically appear as a A-20 Havoc.
-- Aircraft was in hanger when a Zero replica was dropped on it for a scene.
- Remains eventually scrapped by 1969.

N9753Z
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b25regis ... 31504.html

History:
Delivered to RCAF as 5218.
- BOC: November 21, 1951.
- SOC: February 16, 1962.
Canspec Air Transport Ltd, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, circa 1961.
A.J. Warlick & J.E. Kowing, Seattle, WA, November 1961-1963.
- Registered as N9753Z.
- Stored, awaiting conversion to tanker at Seattle-Boeing Field, WA, 1962.
- Conversion never implemented.
Flair, Inc, Lihue, Kauai, HI, May 1963-1970.
- Delivered to Honolulu from San Francisco, CA for movie In Harm's Way.
Technical Trade School, Honolulu Airport, HI, 1971-1974.
Pacific Aerospace Museum, Honolulu, HI, 1977-1993.
United States Air Force Museum, Hickam AFB, HI, 1977-2005.
- Displayed as U.S. Army Air Force/1504.
Pacific Aviation Museum, Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, circa 2005-2015.
- Static restoration in USAAC olive drab scheme.
- Displayed in Doolittle’s Raider aircraft carrier diorama.B-25

[ryguy135]

No idea, I just want to hear more about this story:

--Stolen by intoxicated pilot, flew low over Waikiki at night.
-- Damaged when struck radio tower, landed back at Honolulu May 7, 1965.
-- Pilot arrested.

[JohnB]

Can't help with the B-25s, but can report there was no B-17 in the early 70s when I visited.

I visited the airport specifically looking for warbirds, didn't see any of note except a gutted, winless B-66 hulk at the aviation trade school.

[warbirdfinder]

I was flying for Aloha Airlines when the pilot took his B-25 for a joy ride from Honolulu Airport. He buzzed Waikiki several times, people in the Ilikia Hotel said when he flew past, it was below the level of their rooms.

North of Pearl Harbor he hit the radio tower, which seem to sober him up a bit as he then landed at HNL airport and led the cops on a chase around the airport. He parked the plane and ran.

I saw the plane the next day, he had hit the top of the tower just to the right of the center line. It tore through the nose, took out the copilots seat and continued to tear open the belly of the plane. The end of the long gap stopped just behind the bomb bay area. It look as if a giant can opener had opened up two thirds of the belly.

If he had hit the tower a couple of feet further to the left and it would have taken out the pilot.

Pilot arrested a day or two later.

[CoastieJohn]

He just wanted to go flying...so he says.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... 2883&hl=en