The aircraft was purchased by Wenatchee Air Services of Wenatchee, Washington, for $855 in 1958. After being repaired, it was registered as N1042B and set aside for a future conversion to an air tanker. The U.S. Forest Service lost interest in B-25 air tankers, however, after a stunning four B-25 tankers were lost in July 1960. B-25s slated for conversion languished at many western airfields, but N1042B was saved when Tallmantz came looking. It was purchased in May 1962.
Tallmantz pilots ferried the airplane to its Orange County base. The airplane was overhauled as needed and modified for use as a camera ship. Distinctive in its modification was the construction of a new camera nose. The distinctive camera nose for N1203 had evolved over the years Mantz operated the airplane, beginning with a standard GI nose and eventually gaining the distinctive wrap-around nose glass. With N1042B, the nose was constructed from scratch, was slightly longer, and incorporated a large hatch on the left side to assist in mounting cameras. The wrap-around nose glass was specially formed as a cylindrical section with minimal optical distortion for filming. The camera nose was fabricated and installed by Potter Aircraft Services at Burbank. Also, the waist and tail gun positions were modified to accept camera mounts. The airplane was finished in an overall white scheme with red rudders and wingtips, and a black anti-glare panel forward of the cockpit. The engine nacelles were blue. A thin black cheat line extended from the cockpit to the aft fuselage. Extensive lettering was added to the nose identifying the airplane's operator and came to include a world map (duplicating that on N1203) and a list of projects the airplane was employed in.
The new camera ship was quickly put to work, and it appears that the first film that employed the new airplane was How the West Was Won, a Cinerama film utilizing a three-camera wide-screen assembly mounted in the B-25 nose. It was utilized from 1962 until 1985 as a Tallmantz cameraship. The only time it appeared in front of the camera is in Catch 22, filmed in 1969, when it can occasionally be seen in the distant background of formation shots. Either it or stablemate N1203 also shows up in the background of a scene in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. In 1971, its paint scheme was updated, the overall white being retained with blue nacelles, but the airplane gaining the distinctive Tallmantz emblem on the vertical stabilizers, and the nose markings were updated. Also, a half-bubble aerial director's position was added in the former top turret skin patch, wired into the radio interphone system.
When Tallmantz was sold to new owners in 1986 (and went out of business altogether shortly afterwards), N1042B was sold to a Delaware corporation, Universal Aviation. It was operated by Aces High out of North Weald in England as a camera ship, and was employed specifically to film The Memphis Belle in 1989. Tony Ritzman of Aero Trader was one of the camera pilots used to fly the airplane. The airplane gained an overall gloss olive and grey scheme with yellow trim on the tail and wings and AAF markings.
In 1996, the airplane was sold to World Jet at Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It required a fair amount of work by Tom Reilly to go through the airplane and deal with some corrosion issues, but the airplane came once again up for sale, now sans camera nose and finished in a polished natural metal. It took several years for the B-25 to find a new owner but, in September 2000, it was sold to John Lister of San Antonio, Texas, being registered to 99th Street, Inc. Lister operated the airplane for several years and it appeared at numerous air shows early in the decade. At this point the airplane sported Air Corps tail stripes and markings, carrying the name of Top Secret. By November 2002, it was for sale again for $390,000, including a store of spare parts worth about $100,000 (including the original camera nose).
In November 2003, it was sold and the new owner is Jim Terry of Cleburne, Texas. The official registered owner of N1042B is Debie Y. Lee, but the airplane operator is Terry, who bought and operates the Mitchell as a remembrance to his uncle, a World War II B-25 pilot. The airplane currently operates as Pacific Prowler and is based at the Vintage Flying Museum at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, Texas. It is available for air show appearances.
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Early view of N1042B while owned by Wenatchee Air Services at Wenatchee, Washington. This USAF VB-25N had been purchased as salvage in 1958 after a gear-up landing in the USAF. It was slated for conversion to an air tanker, never accomplished, and instead was sold to Tallmantz Aviation in May 1962. (Milo Peltzer Collection) |
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Tallmantz had Potter at Burbank build a custom camera nose for N1042B including the optically-clear cylindrical section nose glass piece. This July 1966 view shows the first paint scheme applied to the airplane while owned by Tallmantz. The rudders are red and nacelles are blue. The overall sheme is quite attactive and suggests a professional company operating professionally, a Tallmantz hallmark. (Clay Jansson vis Milo Peltzer) |
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On location in Guaymas, Mexico, with Catch-22 in early 1969. The airplane went to Mexico with a turret mounted on top of the fuselage but it was later removed due to buffeting that affected the camera shots. The large nose hatch, discernable from the worn paint, allowed the mounting of bulky cameras in the nose, though the predominent filming location was from the tail gunner's position. Frank Pine recalled that the two B-25 cameraships used had water-based paint applied so that it could be easily stripped off after the filming was completed. |
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N1042B was repainted in the early 1970s before the 1972 Disney Circle Vision project and the markings slightly modified. The Tallmantz emblem was added to the vertical stabilizers and the nose markings were altered. This view shows the airplane in January 1980 at Orange County Airport. (Scott Thompson) |
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The left side markings of the nose provides details of the 1972 Disney Circle Vision project. The airplane is dubbed Lively Lady under the cockpit. Pilot for the filming was Frank Pine with Wayne Berg as the copilot. This shows the airplane in February 1980. (Scott Thompson) |
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On the right side of the nose behind the world map was a listing of the major Tallmantz film projects that utilized the Tallmantz B-25s for filming. The listing is not in chronological order. (Scott Thompson) |
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N1042B in action filming a Disney Circle Vision production. The nine-camera assembly was mounted in the bomb-bay with a hydraulically-actuated trapeze assembly that was lowered for clear-view 360 degree filming. Note the attitude of the B-25 vs. that of the camera. It is probable that the relatively low speeds used for the filming required the B-25 nose-high attitude and the camera mount was adjusted accordingly. It would appear that one notch of flaps are lowered also. (Caz Caswell via Warbirds Resources Group) |
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With the sale Tallmantz Aviation to new owners in 1986, N1042B was sold to Universal Aviation of Dover, Deleware. It was operated by Aces High from North Weald in the U.K. and was the primary camera ship used to film The Memphis Belle in 1988 and 1989. This view shows the airplane, dubbed Dolly, as it departs for film work during that period. (A.J. Clarke via Dick Phillips) |
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The airplane was sold to World Jet of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1996. The camera nose, installed since 1962, came off and a standard B-25J nose mounted. In every subsequent sale, however, the camera nose has gone with the airplane. This view shows the airplane at Ypsilanti, Michigan, in November 1996. The last obvious vestiges of its camera work heritage is the nose art. The airplane suffered significant corrosion and required much work to keep it airworthy. (Todd Hackbarth) |
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The next owner of the airplane was John Lister of San Antonio, Texas. The paint was removed and the skin polished out. Early Air Corps markings were added. The airplane was marked as Top Secret. This view shows the airplane at the 2002 Doolittle Reunion held at Fresno, California, in April of that year. Over a dozen B-25s were involved and all participated in a memorial flight. (Scott Thompson) |
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Jim Terry now owns and operates N1042B, with the airplane based at the Vintage Aircraft Museum at Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas. Terry dedicates most of his time to keep the airplane in service in rememberance of his uncle, a B-25 pilot in World War II. The airplane files as Pacific Prowler. (Greg Slocum via Jim Terry) |