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2012 B-25 News
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2010 B-25 News
2009 B-25 News
2008 B-25 News
2007 B-25 News
2006 B-25 News
2005 B-25 News
2004 B-25 News
1999-2003 B-25 News

November 2004

• Late news indicates that Carolina Girl, B-25J 44-28866 (N744CG) is flying again after a six-year restoration effort by the North Carolina Aviation Museum at Asheboro, North Carolina. The bomber reportedly took to the air on a successful test flight on October 30, 2004. Here is a photo of the airplane taken by Scott Lindley in September.

  

• Coert Munk provided information about the Duke of Brabant B-25J, 44-29507 (N302SQ) and its move from Eindhoven, Holland, to the Gilze-Rijen Air Base in November. Besides centralizing their collection, the move also will allow the B-25, operating as Serinah, to fly with the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historical Flight, also based at Gilze-Rijen.

• Mark Sublette passed along a photo of B-25J 44-30649 (N9452Z) as displayed at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, that was taken in June 2004:

  

• Patrick Carry provided a photo of the B-25 nose section on display at the Fantasy of Flight facility at Polk City, Florida. No history is known for this nose section.

  

October 2004

• Mark Clark, President of Courtesy Aircraft, reports that B-25N 45-8898 (N898BW), last flown as Axis Nightmare, was sold on September 22, 2004, to the TriState Warbird Museum located at Clermont County Airport at Cincinatti, Ohio. The B-25J has been for sale on and off for a couple of years but the deal apparently has been consumated as the TriState website also reports a B-25 acquistion. This B-25N is the "newest" B-25 to survive and has the highest surviving B-25 serial number. It was part of the last batch of B-25s built by North American at Kansas City that was not immediately delivered to the AAF. Instead, they went directly to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. for disposal, this example being stored at Altus, Oklahoma, until December 1946. The AAF then had a change of heart, and reclaimed a number of the new B-25s from the RFC, including 45-8898. It served at Bolling Field and was modified as a TB-25N by Hayes in 1954. It was declared surplus in 1959 and sold at an auction for $2,202 to H.H. Coffield of Rockdale, Texas. Assigned the civil registration of N3681G, it never really flew actively and was derelict by the late 1970s. It was sold to Aero Trader in 1983 and then to Binary Warriors in 1985. It was rebuilt by Tom Reilly at Kissimmee, Florida, and reregistered as N898BW in 1985.

  

  It was sold to Don George of Springfield, Illinois, in July 1997 and flown for a number of years by Greg Vallero. (This information comes primarily from B-25 Mitchell in Civil Service, which happens to be full of such information about each of the civil B-25s.) Thanks to Mark Clark and Greg Vallero for the update.

September 2004

• An update from Iran Ausley on the CAF B-25, 44-30988 (N5865V) being rebuilt at Camarillo, California. The airplane, now named Pride of the Yanks, is continuing. He notes that the fuselage is nearly complete, after having to remove corrosion and redo some work done earlier. The empanage is in pretty good shape and should not require much work. The contrl surfaces are being recovered. The main challenge ahead is the wings and engines, both of which require considerable investment. If thing proceed as scheduled, the airplane may be ready for flight in about two years. The airplane may be finished as a Marine PBJ as that was this aircraft's actual military utilization. See page 110 of B-25 Mitchell in Civil Service for the history of this airplane as well as a early photo of this B-25J.

• The Fighter Collection's B-25D 43-3318 (N25644), recently sold to Vulcan Warbirds (actually the Flying Heritage Collection) in Washington State, will remain in the U.K. for awhile longer, at least through the end of 2004 and probably longer. The aircraft is being operated by South Coast Aviation in Bournemouth and remains available for bookings at airshows, etc.

• The Alberta B-25J, 44-30791, once operated as RCAF 5273, has a web site dedictated to its eventual restoration. This airplane has been parked on a farm near Edmonton for many years, and has recently been acquired by the Alberta Aviation Museum Association. The intent is to restore the airplane to resemble B-25D RCAF HO 251 of 418 Squadron. Thanks to Greg Rees for this report.

• A report from Neil Glasgow on the Big Kahuna B-25, 44-86844 ostensibly on display at Destin, Florida. He reports the aircraft "...is beginning to look like an elevated peice of derelict aviation junk. Apart from missing both 'real' engines, the starboard vertical stabilizer is missing as well. Also, the gaudy orange paint scheme has now faded to a pale yellow urine color." Sound appealing. Neil further recalls:

  "...I have fond memories of this aircraft when it resided in Petal, Mississippi during the 1980’s into the mid 1990’s. Mr. Hamilton Sr. used to fire up one of the engines for invited friends and passers-by (me) to “keep the old girl happy”. I still have a self portrait (Polaroid) of me sitting in the cockpit while the engine was running! After Mr. Hamilton, Sr. died, his son waited a few years before selling the B-25 to the Kahuna Water Park for the measly sum of $35,000. Sure, this plane had corrosion in all the wrong places, but the new owner has a lot of gall to advertise it for $250,000."

  "This was the first time in 6-7 years I saw #44-86844 and my hopes are that someone will rescue this aircraft before she is too far gone to save. Hey, maybe the Kahuna Water Park will donate it to a worthy museum…" Thanks, Neil, for the report.

• Terry Lawson, crew chief of CAF B-25J 44-86758 (N9643C) corrects the B-25 Locator and advises that Devil Dog is based at Pilots Choice Aviation in Georgetown, Texas. Thanks for the update; the correction has been made...

• Invader/Mitchell guy Scott Lindley reports that B-25J 44-28866 which had operated as N225AJ has had its registration changed to N744CG, the FAA records being changed on April 5. The registration reflects the aircraft's month of construction (7/44) and the initials of its nose name.

• B-25N 44-30823 (N1042B), operating as Pacific Prowler, is firmly on the tour circuit, with dates in Virginia in September. Get out and look at this B-25 and maybe take a ride. Check the website for details.

July 2004

• The North Carolina Air Museum is trying to locate photographs of their TB-25N, 44-28866 (N225AJ), in USAAF or USAF service between 1944 and 1957. The airplane was primarily assigned after 1954 to Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and Amarillo, Texas. If anyone can help, let me know here and I'll pass it along to them.

• Coert Munk reports that the registered owner of TB-25K 44-30254 (N41123) was changed to Vulcan Warbirds, c/o Joe Franzi of Seattle, Washington, effective May 12, 2004. Vulcan Warbirds is the registered owner of most of the Flying Heritage Collection aircraft based at Arlington, Washington. That museum is funded primarily by Paul Allen of Mircrosoft fame. The TB-25K remains at the Aero Trader facility at Chino, California, where it is undergoing a verrrryyy gradual restoration. A second B-25, B-25D 43-3318 (N25644) was added to the collection in April (see the May 2004 update below).

• Patrick Carry was able to confirm that the B-25J, 44-30010 (ex-N9641C), that was in storage at Wahpeton, North Dakota, was donated at some point, date undetermined, to the Fargo Air Museum at Fargo, North Dakota. It is presumably on static display. The museum website is here. Any current photos of this airplane out there?

• Steve Dennis passed along some photos of the B-25 nose section on display at the Tennessee Air Museum at Sevierville, as noted in the November 2003 update. No details are yet available, but we are looking.

  

• TB-25J 44-86797 (N3438G) long owned by Wiley Sanders and offered for sale for the last two years has gone to a new owner. The B-25 was sold in early June 2004 to Hans O. Lauridsen of Carefree, Arizona. The airplane showed up at the CAF facility at Mesa, Arizona, in May and reportedly remains in storage there. The new owner is reportedly building a hangar at nearby Glendale airport for the airplane. Thanks to Mike Northrop and others for this news.

May 2004

• More information as now surfaced about B-25N 44-30823 (N1042B) that was sold last November. The new owner remains listed with the FAA as Debie Y. Lee of Cleburne, Texas, though a local media report in the Cleburne Times-Review dated March 19, 2004, states the owner is actually Jim Terry, also of Cleburne. That same media report also notes that Terry bought the airplane in August 2003, and that he had dedicated the airplane to his father (another source reports his uncle, not his father) who flew B-25s in World War II. The ex-Tallmantz camera ship is now highly polished and carries the name Pacific Prowler. There is a website up and running on the airplane which can be found here.

  Robert Hill, one of the pilots who is now flying Pacific Prowler, advises that the airplane is managed by Timeless Aircraft of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This company manages a number of warbirds and may also handle the newly-restored B-17G, 44-85734 (N390TH), owned by the Liberty Foundation, and also used to manage TB-25N Old Glory, 44-28938 (N7946C), when it was based at Tulsa. Timeless Aircraft, among other specialties, arranges for FAA approval of ride programs in warbirds, which allows the airplane to tour and sell rides to the general public. Though the owner of the airplane lives in the Fort Worth area, the airplane is going to be based at Tulsa. Thanks to Alan Brooks, Patrick Carry, Dennis Bergstrom, and Robert Hill for this information.

• The third annual "Last Doolittle Raider Reunion" came off without a hitch at Tucson, Arizona, concluding on April 17. For the flying part, four B-25s and one B-17 participated, and they made a low pass with a missing-man formation break over Davis-Monthan AFB, and then landed at nearby Tucson International Airport. The four B-25s were: Old Glory (44-28938, N7946C) from Stockton, California, Pacific Princess (43-28204, N9856C) from Chino, California, In The Mood (44-29199, N9117Z) from Rialto, California, and Martha Jean (44-86777 N9167Z). The B-17G was Sentimental Journey (44-83514, N9323Z). Thanks to Roger Cain for the update.

• Grumpy is on the move: long held rumors that B-25D 43-3318 (G-BYDR), long operated by The Fighter Collection and based at Duxford in the U.K., is coming back to the U.S. are evidently true. This airplane was transferred to the U.S. civil register as N25644 effective April 20. Technically, it is on a temporary registration certificate good for thirty days, with the owner showing up as Vulcan Warbirds of Seattle, Washington. Vulcan Warbirds is closely tied to the Flying Heritage Collection, Paul Allen's museum located at the Arlington Municipal Airport north of Seattle. Reportedly, the airplane won't be delivered to the U.S. immediately. It may finish out the summer show season in the U.K. before proceeding westbound.

  Speaking of the Flying Heritage Collection, the museum has been in the news recently as it was formally opened for business in April. Check out this site for more information.

March 2004

• Tom Cangialosi sends along an interesting photo of 44-31508 (N6578D) taken in New Jersey in 1975. This B-25 was used as the cameraship for the filming of the Battle of Britain in England in 1968. At that point, it was owned by Euramericair, a company operated by Jeff Hawke. Hawke also flew the airplane for the filming. After the filming was completed, a series of legal problems followed the airplane, not uncommon for Hawke and his airplanes. It was derelict at Caldwell, New Jersey, when this photo was taken. It went to Tom Reilly in 1977 and was returned to airworthy condition and operated as Chapter IX. It was later sold, and is now going derelict again, this time at Franklin, Virginia.

  

• Author Lou Fulgaro passes along information about a new book he has completed entitled Barbie III and Company that tells the story of B-25H 43-4106 (N5548N) and its ten year restoration effort. Lou was involved in Weary Warriors that rebuilt the airplane into the only flying cannon-nosed B-25. The book is 316 pages long with 87 photos. For more information, check out his website here.

January 2004

• One of the B-25s that has been on again/off again for sale, 44-30823 (N1042B) that had been owned by John Lister of San Antonio, Texas, had a new owner registered with the FAA as of November 19, 2003. The new owner is shown as Debie Y. Lee of Cleburne, Texas. Details beyond this are unknown but we wait patiently. This airplane is one of the three ex-Tallmantz camera ships. Thanks to Dennis Bergstrom for the head's up.

• Coert Munk reports that B-25J 45-8883 (C-GCWM) as operated by the Canadian Warplane Heritage has a slightly changed paint scheme and is now flown as Grumpy. Here is photo taken by Jim Buckel in August 2003:

  

B-25 News Archive

Current B-25 News
2017 B-25 News
2016 B-25 News
2015 B-25 News
2014 B-25 News
2013 B-25 News
2012 B-25 News
2011 B-25 News
2010 B-25 News
2009 B-25 News
2008 B-25 News
2007 B-25 News
2006 B-25 News
2005 B-25 News
2004 B-25 News
1999-2003 B-25 News