Air Zoo Thinning the Collection More?

[Steve Nelson]

When it arrived, the aircraft had the correct -H nose with all the gun ports faired over with sheet metal.

Actually that's not correct. I remember closely examining the B-25 when it was outdoors. The nose was solid, but not an H or even a standard J gunship nose. It appeared to be a glass nose, but with sheet metal covering the framework..you could clearly see the rivet lines following the frames. Here are a couple pics I found on the interwebs showing the aircraft when it was on outdoor display at the Air Zoo, and her rather unique nose configuration..it's considerably longer than a stubby H nose, and just the right size and shape for a "bomber" nose.





This pic from the Registry shows the aircraft when it arrived at the Air Zoo in pieces. The nose is the same.



The Air Zoo has only ever had the one B-25. She was brought in from outdoor display in the late 80s and restored with her current J gunship nose and "Parrot Head" paint job (I think the squadron actually intended it to be a falcon, but it certainly looks like a parrot to me..and just about everybody else!)

SN

[gary1954]

If IRC this is the only B-25 associated with the Zoo. Wasn't Red Stevens B-25 the first one to carry the Parrot scheme, she was dressed with an attack version nose.

I believe your thinking about the B-25 at the Liberal Air Museum in Kansas. Still there with the Parrot Scheme. Also there is a formerly flyable F4U-5 that now belongs to the USMC and will never fly again.

I suffer from the CRS Syndrome. plus I was on my crackberry, which didn't help, but I was trying to recall the correct B-25 and it pleagued me all day. Wasn't it Ray Cunningham that sported the first parrot scheme...on a B-25 that is?