# B-24 : A Ford Airplane



## Josiah (Feb 20, 2015)

American exceptionalism for sure.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/iKlt6rNciTo?rel=0


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## Pappy (Feb 20, 2015)

Really enjoyed that one. Thanks.


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## Falcon (Feb 20, 2015)

Yep, They made a whole bunch of them.  The early ones had a bad reputation because of fuel fumes escaping.
I actually saw one explode on take off.  It barely got the wheels retracted when it blew up shattering the plane and crew.
Next day a flat bed truck pulled onto the base with the remains of it and there were no pieces bigger than a breadbox.
This was in Savannah, GA, a departure area for crossing the Atlantic.


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## Meanderer (Feb 20, 2015)

Thanks for that video Josiah!   Thank you, John for that information too!


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## Josiah (Feb 20, 2015)

It seems I remember hearing somewhere that the B-24 was a difficult plane to fly.


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## Falcon (Feb 20, 2015)

The B-26 Marauder was a difficult plane to fly....because it was so fast.  It was almost like a fighter plane.

Killed a lot of pilots in training. (Google it)  "One a day in Tampa Bay".


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## AZ Jim (Feb 20, 2015)

Actually this brings out the company man in me.  My dad worked on the B-24 where it was designed and half of them built, then called Consolidated aircraft in San Diego.  Consolidated was later called Convair and still later it was owned and operated by General Dynamics.  I went to work where Dad left off, although in an entirely different capacity and the company was called Convair then.  I spent 30 years there most of it at the facility where the first B-24 was produced (USAF PL1).  The following are some interesting pictures of PL1 during the war years. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator

https://www.google.com/search?q=B-2...vOI_8oQTmloHwDg&ved=0CC8Q7Ak&biw=1024&bih=640

Because of our location in San Diego right by the ocean our buildings and surrounding highways were camouflaged with paint and netting over everything suspended with steel cable.  They had "phony" chicken houses and the like on the top of the net.

https://www.google.com/search?q=con...uOo6uogSc64CgDw&ved=0CCIQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=640

Thanks for the post Josiah, I just wanted to show where that plane was born and at least half of them produced.  BTW After it's design and first few produced  it was flown over San Diego in 1939, well before we entered the war.  Oh one other fact the name Convair was due to the merger of Vultee and Consolidated aircraft companies thus CON VA IR.


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## Pappy (Feb 20, 2015)

Very informative everyone. I've always been partial to WW2 planes as it was during my time growing up. Plus, I built many models of them. One of my favorites was the P-38, twin engine Lightning.


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## AZ Jim (Feb 20, 2015)

I was in an interesting area during WW2.  Los Angeles and San Diego, both armed  camps.


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## Josiah (Feb 20, 2015)

AZ Jim said:


> Actually this brings out the company man in me.  My dad worked on the B-24 where it was designed and half of them built, then called Consolidated aircraft in San Diego.  Consolidated was later called Convair and still later it was owned and operated by General Dynamics.  I went to work where Dad left off, although in an entirely different capacity and the company was called Convair then.  I spent 30 years there most of it at the facility where the first B-24 was produced (USAF PL1).  The following are some interesting pictures of PL1 during the war years.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_B-24_Liberator
> 
> ...



To watch my film clip, you would think Henry Ford himself designed the Liberator. Thanks for your personal recollections. As a young boy during WW2 I had pictures of US aircraft plastered all over the walls of my bedroom.


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## AZ Jim (Feb 20, 2015)

Yes it wasn't a "Ford Airplane".  It was designed, born, flight tested and mainly produced at my workplace in San Diego.  I spent 30 years in that industry.  I was in our General Dynamics plant 71 during the design and manufacture of the Atlas Missile as well.  I have many photos of those days in the early 60's.  In fact here is a picture of myself and a fellow photographer (I started at Convair/Astronautics as a Industrial photographer).  This piece of the Atlas 109D landed in Africa after it fell to earth and after the Mercury capsule holding John Glenn was set free of it.  It was flown to San Diego so studies of the tiny meteor holes could be made.



That's me on the right. The second badge in my badge holder designates me as a photographer.


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## Ameriscot (Feb 20, 2015)

Fantastic, Jim!


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## AZ Jim (Feb 20, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> Fantastic, Jim!



Thanks. Those were exciting days for me.


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## SifuPhil (Feb 20, 2015)

Wasn't the B-24 also known as "The Flying Boxcar", or was that a different plane?


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## Falcon (Feb 20, 2015)

Phil, maybe, but I think the 'Flying Boxcar'  was a cargo plane; maybe the C-119?

 I hate to admit it, but I could be wrong.


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## Josiah (Feb 20, 2015)

Phil see this exhaustive list of nick names. Apparently the B-24 didn't have one.

http://web.mit.edu/btyung/www/nickname.html


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## SifuPhil (Feb 21, 2015)

Falcon said:


> Phil, maybe, but I think the 'Flying Boxcar'  was a cargo plane; maybe the C-119?
> 
> I hate to admit it, but I could be wrong.





Josiah09 said:


> Phil see this exhaustive list of nick names. Apparently the B-24 didn't have one.
> 
> http://web.mit.edu/btyung/www/nickname.html



Thanks, guys.

I see from Josiah's list that the C-119 _was_ called the Flying Boxcar - for whatever reason I had confused that with the B-24. 

Maybe because I'm currently re-reading all of my Tom Clancy novels ...


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## Josiah (Feb 21, 2015)

The Consolidated C-109 Liberator which must have been another designation for the B-24 was nick-named "Cee One-Oh-Boom"


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## oldman (Feb 21, 2015)

Falcon said:


> Yep, They made a whole bunch of them.  The early ones had a bad reputation because of fuel fumes escaping.
> I actually saw one explode on take off.  *It barely got the wheels retracted when it blew up shattering the plane and crew*.
> Next day a flat bed truck pulled onto the base with the remains of it and there were no pieces bigger than a breadbox.
> This was in Savannah, GA, a departure area for crossing the Atlantic.




At United, I was shown a film of a plane in its takeoff roll going down the runway and at 50 mph. it blew its first tire and at 70 mph. it blew its second tire. The first tire all but melted and the rim was the only thing left on the runway and caught on fire. When the pilot raised the gear, the flames went up in the hold area and ignited the flooring of the fuselage. People eventually started dropping out of the aircraft until the plane finally crashed. It was shown to us to help us understand why sensors and extinguishers were installed in the hold area. Like I really needed to understand that bit of mechanical necessity, but thankfully the airplane manufacturers did do something to prevent this type of accident from happening again.


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