B-25 "Show Me" Missouri Wing
Description:
Base:
St. Charles County Smart Airport, St. Charles, MO
Website:
| B-25 Specs | |
|---|---|
| Role | Medium Bomber |
| Manufacturer | North American Aviation |
| Introduced | 1941 |
| Power | 2 × Wright R-2600-35 Twin Cyclone 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 1,700 hp each |
| Length | 52 ft 11 in |
| Height | 16 ft 4 in |
| Wingspan | 67 ft 7 in |
| Range | 1,350 mi |
Delivered to the USAAF as 44-31385 in January of 1945, our B-25J stayed in service as a trainer up until it was retired and put into storage at Davis Monthan AFB, AZ in 1958.
In 1959, 44-31385 (being assigned to the Aircraft Disposal Office) was sold to its first private owner officially changing its call sign to N3481G.
During 1969 in Seymour, IL the bomber was damaged on the ground by a windstorm and did not fly again until 1975.
It found its home with the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in 1982 and was officially renamed "Show Me" with a civil registration of N345TH.
Thus began its life as a living history aircraft and one of the few elite bombers of the Ghost Squadron.
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American twin-engine, medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation (NAA). It was named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II and after the war ended many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 Mitchells rolled from NAA factories.[1] These included a few limited models, such as the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1 patrol bomber and the United States Army Air Forces' F-10 reconnaissance aircraft and AT-24 trainers.
--Wikipedia
