Friday morning at work I got a surprise when a B25H pulled up on the runway. Turned out the guys from Historyflight.com were in town to raise money for their work through rides on the old “Barbie 3” bomber.
This is the last flying B25 H model, with a 75mm gun in the nose. The 50 cal machine guns are all in place as well.
Historyflight.com uses the money to finance the research and recovery of the remains of WW2 vets MIA in the pacific.
When they asked for volunteers to help “crew chief” the flights, I jumped at the opportunity to help. Basically, that means taking care of the paying clients in regards to flight safety briefings and making sure they don’t flip dials and pull handles during the flight.
They will be having more rides in Houston this Sunday, and next weekend (24/25).
Looks like a cool oppurtunity. I love WW2 aircraft with seeming to be crude yet at the same time they still have the old classic lines and design characteristics of previous eras.
I was a junior member of the then Confederate Air Force for a few years. I worked on them, flew in them and mingled with the men, most of whom were remarkable in one or more ways. Great times, great machines and great men. You can do worse than grow up on an airport. I want to get my wife some rides on these great old birds.
You lucky SOB! Words cannot describe how insanely jealous I am right now.
With respect to the current crop of military aircraft, I think the designers of WW2 era planes hit a real sweet spot that has yet to be topped.
Today I got to work in the rear of the aircraft. Sitting in the tail gunner’s seat was a fantastic experience. Great view, especially when we flew over the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto Battlefield.
If you are interested in volunteering your time, check their schedule and see if they will be near you in the future. If you have an aviation background, big or small, they might be able to use you to Crew Chief the flights.
The Mitchell has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ll bet it is quite a sensory experience to actually sit in one and just take it all in.
Man that’s great! I remember the first time I went on a B-17 I was amazed at how small it actually was inside. B-25’s and B-26’s are a couple of my favs as far as bombers go.
BTW, the crew was telling me that next year will be the last reunion of the surviving veterans of the Doolittle Raid. They plan on bringing over some of the surviving Chinese who helped the Raiders.
They also mentioned a plan to fly this B 25 around the world, since it was supposedly the only type of bomber that was used in all fronts of the war. I hope they fly over Tokyo…
Outstanding! When I was in high school I was taking flight lessons and we landed out at Hondo Air Base, west of San Antonio. The B-25 “Yellow Rose of Texas” was there getting reengined. Love that aircraft. Used to got watch the CAF airshows out there every year when in high school.
