WIX Exclusive! Beijing P-61 True Identity

[Swiss Mustangs]

So this site lists a different bu no. So where did they get this number?

42-39417 P-61A

http://www.johnweeks.com/p61/index.html

According to wikipedia, the institute says it is from the 426th NFS. Is this confirmed?

another example of rubbish on the www....
44-39417 actually was with the 416th NFS nicknamed "Great Speckled Bird" and suffered an accident on 29th October 1945 in Germany

Martin

[Django]

Bttt... did this bird have a name?

[Django]

So you guys are stumped?

Never thought I'd see the day...

[n5151ts]

I thought the ALL B models had the dorsal turret deleted due to buffeting issues on the A model...resolved on the C model

[astixjr]

I found some of my notes from the meeting that I had in China with respect to the P-61B at the BIAA. I have more detailed photos but I still need to find them. I got two stories on how this plane came to be in Beijing but I don't know if either one of them are even remotely accurate.

1) One of the BIAA folks that I met with told me that they (the Chinese) captured three P-61Bs Northwest of Biaxian (sp?) in Sichuan Province in 1949. They said they thought one of the other two P-61B went to to Soviets but they had no idea what became of the third airplane.

2) The folks from CATIC, who seemed to have some control over the BIAA folks, told me that the P-61B at the BIAA outdoor museum was captured near Chengdu when the PLA surrounded and over ran the airfield in 1949. They also indicated that they captured three P-61s but they were not sure what happened to the others. They indicated that at least one of the captured P-61s was not flyable when they captured it.

The translator I used for both meetings was a girl named He Wenrong (sorry but that's what her card said in English) and she told me that there were three groups trying to control the P-61B. The PLA aviation museum outside of Beijing, the CATIC group, and the BIAA. She said they were all "dragons fighting over the pearl".

[airnutz]

]

Hi Al..great stories on the Chinese P-61's..there was another I passed on to BDK a few years
back about one of the "P-61's stashed in a cave story" ...but it's more than likely a
bench yarn...

Very interesting to me is the first photo you provided of the Bejing lineup..
1st plane in the lower left corner...that was a surprise..the Aero AE-45! First saw
photos of the bird in the 60's and always wanted one as a kid..similar to the Miles Gemini.

www.airplane-pictures.net/image3000.html

Thanks for your post..

[mstennes]

Wonder if the Chinese would sell it? Jeese everything else they have is for sale.

[bdk]

Like what for instance? I mean they haven't sold it yet, and there have been serious offers.

[mstennes]

Like what for instance? I mean they haven't sold it yet, and there have been serious offers.

Well, I would give them west of the Cascades in Washington

[warbird1]

Does anyone know if the P-61 is back together again and on display. Last I heard the wings were off and it was "in storage" somewhere.

[bdk]

As of June 2009 everything is in outside storage.

[Django]

Let's revisit this... anyone come up with a history on the P-61 prior to it's capture?

[agent86]

Bttt... did this bird have a name?

Yes it did have a name "Black Widow" sorry

[Django]

Uh huh.

Here's a somewhat more recent photo. http://www.airliners.net/photo/USA---Ai ... 1513907/M/

From another thread:

Recieved this,

Dear Mr. Furline

Thank you for your request.

We have attached the interpreted assignments for the P-61B, s/n 42-39715.

P-61B, s/n 42-39715
Manufactured by Northrop Aircraft, Hawthorne CA and delivered to the USAAF on 8 Feb 1945.
Feb 1945 Departed the US and assigned to the Tenth Air Force, China Burma India Theater of Operations
Dec 1945 Dropped from inventory as surplus

We hope this information is of some value to you.

Sincerely
Archie DiFante, Archivist
AFHRA/RSA
600 Chennault Circle
Maxwell AFB AL 36112-6424 USA
(334) 953-2447


Oh well, I tried.

Regards,
Mike

and...

A little more info can be found in Night Hunter by Anderson.
C/N is 1234, a P-61B-15-NO. Assigned to the 427th NFS 3/3/45.
Was at a forward base when the Communists ordered the Americans out. It was reported that three were confiscated but the Chinese wrecked two of them.
This is a very good book for the P-61 buff as it gives the final disposition of all the Black Widows, tons of photos and drawings , color photos and six pages of color profiles.
A bit of irony as the book is printed in China.
mike13

and...

In my haste to post the other night, I listed the author as the person who wrote the forward which is right under the title.
The complete title is "Northrop's Night Hunter P-61 Black Widow"" and the author is Jeff Kolln. ISBN 978-1-58007-122-2.
As far as sources , the author lists a page of contibutors including former Night Fighter Association squadron members.
mike13

So it was part of the 427th NFS. Does anyone have the book that Mike mentions? He hasn't been on WIX since Oct, so I don't expect him to see this...

[mustangdriver]

Were the outter wing panels always off of it, or did the just recently fall off? After talking to Russ Strine he said that someone that he knew had the chance to look over the aircraft and said that he could press with his thumb through the sking into the wing spar.