B-25 Mitchells Do Fly in IMC

[OneHungLow]

I was prompted to watch my copy of 'B-25 Mitchells Do Fly in IMC' again after reading this advert for "Mr. Grumpy"...

If I had a spare $2000000 lying around I would make an offer on this one of the 7 dwarves, and start assiduously looking for the +-$500000 per annum spare change required to keep the aircraft flying and airworthy. Oh well, one can but dream.

https://silodrome.com/north-american-b-25-bomber/




A good documentary somewhat spoiled by the intrusive, inappropriate music...

[OneHungLow]

RIP John 'Jeff' Hawke...

More Mitchells

[CharlieOneSix]

Jeff Hawke’s B-25 languished on the grass at Shoreham for many years in the 70s. I think it was the one used as a camera ship in the ‘Battle of Britain’ film.

[Archer]

I think you mean 'one of Jeff Hawke's B-25s...' as he is supposed to have left various examples lying about Europe's airfields

I've been trying to find my list of the ex-Hanover Street examples... but don't know where I left it. This copy-paste from Key.aero will have to do:
151632 Gorgeous George Ann / Thar She Blows B-25J-30NC 44-30925 N9494Z Brussels Air Museum
151645 Marvellous Miriam B-25J-20NC 44-29366 N9115Z RAF Museum Hendon -> now at East Kirkby
151790 Amazing Andrea B-25J-30NC 44-86701 N7681C Destroyed – Hangar Fire
151863 Big Bad Bonnie B-25J-30NC 44-30210 N9455Z Tulsa, OK.
151724 Brenda’s Boys B-25J-20NC 44-29121 N86427 Museo del Aire, Madrid, Spain

Apart from the East Kirkby move... I don't know if the rest is still correct, most likely there have been no changes but I'm not sure about the Tulsa example. I don't think any of these were at Shoreham, but I'm not sure.

[OneHungLow]

I think you mean 'one of Jeff Hawke's B-25s...' as he is supposed to have left various examples lying about Europe's airfields

I've been trying to find my list of the ex-Hanover Street examples... but don't know where I left it. This copy-paste from Key.aero will have to do:
151632 Gorgeous George Ann / Thar She Blows B-25J-30NC 44-30925 N9494Z Brussels Air Museum
151645 Marvellous Miriam B-25J-20NC 44-29366 N9115Z RAF Museum Hendon -> now at East Kirkby
151790 Amazing Andrea B-25J-30NC 44-86701 N7681C Destroyed – Hangar Fire
151863 Big Bad Bonnie B-25J-30NC 44-30210 N9455Z Tulsa, OK.
151724 Brenda’s Boys B-25J-20NC 44-29121 N86427 Museo del Aire, Madrid, Spain

Apart from the East Kirkby move... I don't know if the rest is still correct, most likely there have been no changes but I'm not sure about the Tulsa example. I don't think any of these were at Shoreham, but I'm not sure.

Archer thank you for that list. I was apt to wonder how many B-25's are still extant, or at least airworthy in the world.

This Wiki list is interesting, if, probably, not completely accurate.

List of surviving North American B-25 Mitchells - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... _Mitchells

[Archer]

That list is pretty good, I'm sure it's not that far off the truth. The lists on WIX are also very useful: http://www.warbirdregistry.org/index.html. A quick look shows a few more B-25s on that list, but it also includes partial wrecks or airframes that are out of the public eye. Updates are sometimes posted in the first sticky here: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... um.php?f=3

The Mitchell isn't doing too bad, but we don't have a lot of them in Europe. According to Wiki, there are only two in the UK. There are three in The Netherlands with one airworthy.

[OneHungLow]

That list is pretty good, I'm sure it's not that far off the truth. The lists on WIX are also very useful: http://www.warbirdregistry.org/index.html. A quick look shows a few more B-25s on that list, but it also includes partial wrecks or airframes that are out of the public eye. Updates are sometimes posted in the first sticky here: http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... um.php?f=3

The Mitchell isn't doing too bad, but we don't have a lot of them in Europe. According to Wiki, there are only two in the UK. There are three in The Netherlands with one airworthy.

That WIX site is a very good resource. Thank you for sharing that as well.

Baie dankie, as we say in Afrikaans...

I wonder how many of the John "Jeff" Hawke B-25's would have survived if they had not crossed the Atlantic for the the filming of "Hannover Street?" Not that I am knocking their Atlantic crossing, just idly speculating really.

[Archer]

Right, I've found the one that was mentioned. The other big 'list of lovely aeroplanes' is on Geoff Goodall's website: http://www.goodall.com.au/ If you click on 'Warbirds Directory' and select the red button for 'North American' you can browse his listing of remaining B-25s.

The relevant one is:

Another of Jeff Hawke's Mitchells, it was stored at Shoreham and made its way to Duxford where it is currently in the American Air Museum.
This is my photo from 2010:

DSC_6262_resize by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr
This was not the BofB camera ship, but another one of the seven B-25s that passed through John 'Jeff' Hawke's hands. It was used for camera work for a while, at least it had a special nose mounted as mentioned above.

[OneHungLow]

Archer, your links here are the pot of gold at the end of the B-25 rainbow.

As for Duxford, I, like you, have sat and contemplated, and photographed that B-25 flying the high wire... I guess it is better that is is being admired, static, pristine, albeit unairworthy, rather than rotting somewhere in a forgotten scrapyard...

[CharlieOneSix]

Fascinating, Archer and OHL. Thanks for all the info!

[Archer]

I realised I could add photos of two other ex-Jeff Hawke/Hanover Street Mitchells:

151645 Marvellous Miriam B-25J-20NC 44-29366 N9115Z, at RAF Museum, Hendon in 2016:

151645 Marvellous Miriam B-25J-20NC 44-29366 N9115Z, at East Kirkby this year:

151724 Brenda’s Boys B-25J-20NC 44-29121 N86427, at Cuatro Vientos, Madrid: