Just walked out in my yard to watch this. She came through at about 1000', less than a quarter mile off. Much quieter than the B-17 that overflew last year. Odd, since the engines are similar, but it could be wind direction, power settings and a host of other things.

Not my pic...

It's been to our local airport several times. Always fun to watch it.

I spent several years flying a version of the B24, but with different engines; we used the R2600. It was far, far from quiet.

I once stood next to a runway at Fresno, holding a decibel meter, when two F16's were departing. I tried the same meter inside the 4Y, and the 4Y at idle on the ramp, especially with the APU running, was louder than the F16's. At takeoff power settings without a lot of hearing protection, it easily surpassed the threshold of pain.

The nosegear is canted forward, and it won't taxi straight more than a few feet before rolling left and right and starting a turn. Control forces are about 75 lbs on the rudders if an outboard engine is shut down; I've had checkrides in them that were longer than 2 hours and my leg was shaking when I got back on the ground.

Many of the parts on the airframe have part numbers from the Model 31 flying boat, because that's where they came from.

Glass fuel sight-gauges (tubes full of fuel, showing the level of fuel in each tank), a bomb bay prone to filling with aviation gasoline, large oil tanks that need filling as often as the fuel tanks, and landing gear that walks as it taxies and lumbers up and down slower than snails in a marathon are hallmarks of the type.

quote:

large oil tanks that need filling as often as the fuel tanks

Funny you should say that... I was at the Tico Warbird Museum when they were rebuilding a TBM Avenger to flight status. The mechanic told me the 2600 went through 40 gal of lube oil per full load of fuel.

I saw her shortly after she was restored. I was on the flightline at Carswell AFB in October 1989(doing disarming procedure training on a B-52H M61). Hearing a few B-52's takeoff, then about 10 minutes later, a definite roar of 4 big radials turning. She was departing after a visit to the General Dynamics factory across the runway, where she was built.

Saw her again a few years ago in Livermore, Calif. when visiting my brother. I need to get a flight in her, as I have a second cousin (my mom's first cousin), who was a waist gunner on a B-24.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:
Just walked out in my yard to watch this. She came through at about 1000', less than a quarter mile off. Much quieter than the B-17 that overflew last year. Odd, since the engines are similar, but it could be wind direction, power settings and a host of other things.

Not my pic...

It's going to be here all weekend at Leesburg along with the B-17 and a TF-51D

https://www.collingsfoundation...event/leesburg-fl-2/

I went for my first warbird flight on her back in 2001 when she had "The Dragon and His Tail" livery. Collings was visiting Falcon Field that spring. I loved it so much I joined the CAF Arizona Wing (now Airbase Arizona) later that day. Lot's of fun with radials since then. Keep 'Em Flying!

quote:

Originally posted by ArtieS:

quote:

large oil tanks that need filling as often as the fuel tanks

Funny you should say that... I was at the Tico Warbird Museum when they were rebuilding a TBM Avenger to flight status. The mechanic told me the 2600 went through 40 gal of lube oil per full load of fuel.

No. The engines use about 3-5 gallons of oil per hour.

Large radials use an oil tank, which is typically about 40 gallons of oil.

If the engines were burning throiugh 40 gallons of oil for a tank of fuel, they'd have some serious cooling issues and as the engine wears, would be at risk of running out of oil in flight.

I have a fair amount of time behind R2600's (same engine as the TBM), as well as other small and large radials up to the R4360. I've never seen one burn 40 gallons of oil in a hop. There have been long range flights in which the oil is pumped out to the engines to service the oil tanks, chiefly due to the long duration of the flight, and even on short flights we always carried spare oil barrels or jugs in the airplane.

The TBM has a 32 gallon oil capacity, and standard integral fuel capacity of 375 gallons. Mission fuel should be planned at approx 70-75 gallons per hour, so at 8 gph oil consumption, it's conceivable that one could run it down, but were that the case, it's certainly not the norm.

Wikipedia will say that the airplane uses 25 gpm oil on startup, which is ridiculous.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sns3guppy,

The YouTube channel Steveo1kinevo has a recent video where he gets to fly and film while crawling around inside.

Sorry, can’t embed at the moment so before I forget...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...miFMlR3g&app=desktop

My father in law flew these in WW-II. He was shot down on his final mission over Germany, captured and spent the remainder of the war in Stalag Luft 1.

He was a great man in a great plane.

My namesake, 2nd Lt Thomas J Foley, flew right-hand seat in Chris' Crate out of RAF Attlebridge, Norfolk, England, with 466 HBG.

He ran out of luck flying off to a mission on 23 February 1945, and had to ditch in the north Sea, just fifteen minutes off the runway.

Three of the crew survived, but he was not one of them.

I go to the American Cemetery at Madingley every year we are in UK at that time, and spend a few minutes remembering him and all the others who are only a few scratchings on a wall.

What a magnificent piece of history.

Thanks for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by Sgt Neutron:

Saw her again a few years ago in Livermore, Calif. when visiting my brother. I need to get a flight in her, as I have a second cousin (my mom's first cousin), who was a waist gunner on a B-24.

I live just SE from that airport, and every Memorial Day weekend when the old warbirds fly in I can sit in my yard and watch them come in to land. Every few hours when the big bombers fire up to take folks on their paid flights they fly around over my house. Love the sound of freedom and I can only imagine what it was like to see a squadron of hundreds of these taking to go pound the Axis.

My father was a crewman on a B-17 in the European theater and my uncle, my fathers brother, was a crewman on a B-24 in the Pacific theater. Neither of them would talk much about their experiences but both commented on how cold those flights were. Definitely the greatest generation.

Jim

I have had flights in the 4Y (B24) that were painfully cold. We ran tape around everything we could. We hung plastic around the flight deck, and used a janitrol heater on the flight deck until the output had us choking. In ice, it built large horns above and below the airfoil, quite long, quite large, with triple icicles extending off the prop domes into the slipstream. Still, that big Davis wing flew surprisingly well, considering the conditions.

My FIL flew them in WW2 out of various bases in Great Britain. Did his 35 missions and both he and his entire crew survived the War.

That plane visited Montana this past July, stopped and looked at it in Helena. I was surprised how small it was for the crew.

Watched them run it up and take off. It was quite a sight. Loved the sounds.

Dave once mentioned being part of an 800 plane mission! I couldn't even imagine that many aircraft at one time.

My uncle Marshall("Ace") was a tail gunner and flew 25 missions in the B-24 "Ole Irish". They flew out of North Africa and later England.

quote:

Originally posted by florida boy:
My uncle Marshall("Ace") was a tail gunner and flew 25 missions in the B-24 "Ole Irish". They flew out of North Africa and later England.

Heroes, every one.