rwdfresno wrote:
Garth wrote:
I've also thought that Miss Hap would be nice if restored (ala Ol'927) as a B-25 or as an RB-25. Much in the same way that Swoose is being restored to her pre-VIP transport days.
Personally I think B-25 40-2168 has significant historical value being Hap Arnold's personal transport and I'm not sure why anyone would want to destroy that historical value to insert a bomb bay. I get a little tired of the idea that if it doesn't have guns or bomb-bay it is "interesting" enough to be historical.
Ryan
Concur. Personally, I would have left the bomber in the VIP configuration had she been mine, based on her documented history as a VIP Transport for General Arnold, followed by the acqusition of Hughes. I have not found anything to "verify" that the Mitchell was operated with Hughes at the controls of N2825B. I was able to learn that Noah Dietrich (February 28, 1889 - February 15, 1982) Chief Executive Officer of the Hughes empire (1925-57) did cruise around in a B-25, which may have been this one however.
Then Dietrich acquired a B-25C-1 Serial 41-13251 c/n 82-5886 as N3968C formerly as ex-Dominican Air Force FAD 2502.
At that time, no one could do anything with or to a Hughes owned airplane unless he had absolute control over the modifications.
Hughes didn't know that Dietrich bought the plane, didn't know that 68C was being configured as a VIP transport, and when he found out, went absolutely Ba-Listic.
He grounded the plane and subsequently terminated Dietrich (for other reasons) and the B-25C sat on flat tires until after the liquidation of the Hughes estate.