Good Morning, Oppo

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 03/31/2020 at 08:45 • Filed to: good morning oppo, wingspan, Planelopnik

2

10

Charles M. Daniels Collection/SDASM

Oh. My. God. It’s beautiful.

Civilian B-25H N37L. Love the tip tanks and the tail cone. And that tapering cheatline. This photo is from the San Diego Air and Space Museum flickr, and a commenter had the following to say about this gorgeous Mitchell in mufti:

Actually, this is 43-4899 a North American B-25H-10 shown here as N37L. At the time of the photograph, she was equipped as a VIP transport aircraft. There was even a couch in the bomb bay section that when seated, one could look at America through small windows on the port (left) side of the aircraft. It had a galley, captains swivel chairs in the blister windows, as well as a toilet at the very rear of the ship. She was also equipped with Dual Exhausts to make the Wright 2600s quieter for the occupants. She was quite the machine of its day. I believe that the only other B-25 that was modified with an air-stair door on the left side of the fuselage was N10V a B-25H (equipped with a J model nose) that is with the EAA. N37 was last known to be on display at the Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The museum restored her to WWII spec and livery. For a complete history of this aircraft, click !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

pip bip - choose Corrour > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 08:47

1

g’night

Ash78, voting early and often > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 08:51

2

“ Attention passengers, especially those seated on the couch. Please prepare for our final approach into Tokyo.”

This is so epic. It’s like everything I ever dreamed of in elementary school.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 08:53

2

Design meeting: We need some guns. No, More guns. No, MORE GUNS!!!

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 09:08

2

Wow I didn't even recognize it in civilian livery!

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 03/31/2020 at 09:19

1

I posted these beauties a couple of years ago. And the A-20 came with a whole story . I was thinking this morning, though, that for all that these were bombers, I bet they were cramped inside. I’ve climbed through a B-17 and it was seriously close quarters. 

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 10:00

0

I haven't been in a B-17, but they sure look cramped - and they're bigger than these two.  The B-29 isn't roomy either, because the pressure vessel is inside the aircraft, not the skin itself. 

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 03/31/2020 at 10:24

0

The gunner’s area behind the bomb bay has very little headroom, and the catwalk through the bomb bay itself was so small that I had to turn sideways to get through, and even then it was tough with my fat self. All that would be removed of course, but still, it would be tight.

I’ve posted this before, but this is the stencil that I saw outside the Fort. “CREW WEIGHT 1200 LBS,” an the B-17 had a crew of 10. That’s pretty simple math on the average weight of each crewman. Good luck with that today. 

phenotyp > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 12:57

0

Man, I’ve always loved the B-25. Don’t know what it is about it. Maybe related to reading about the Doolittle Raid as a kid.

ttyymmnn > phenotyp 03/31/2020 at 13:22

0

I made a post yesterday about the P-51D being, in my opinion, the perfectly proportioned piston fighter. I think that the B-25 might be worthy of a similar distinction when it comes to medium bombers. All function, but also a gorgeous form.

phenotyp > ttyymmnn 03/31/2020 at 13:35

1

I replied to you in that post :)

Yeah, definitely the same kind of beauty, purity, and functionality.