eBay: Northrop P-61 Black Widow

Donivanp · Jul 14, 2020

Thanks on both. Trying to determine if 5544 is OD over gray and has a translucent radome. The GWH has lady gen in od over gray but all photos I've seen she is black. The kit world decals for shoo shoo baby call for od over gray with translucent raydome.

Navalwarrior · Jul 14, 2020

Snautzer01 said:
UPL 33301 | American Air Museum in Britain

P-61A 42-5544 of the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron

View attachment 588121

Resp:
I can across this on the 422nd:
On 5 July 1944, Gen Spaatz ordered a competition to be held between the P-61 using an example from the 422nd which had its Double Wasp radials carefully 'tuned up' for the competition - against a Mosquito NF.XVII, and LTC Kratz made a $500 bet in favor of the Mosquito being faster and more maneuverable night fighting platform. The 'tweaked' P-61 proved Kratz wrong, and according to the 422nd Squadron historian it "proved faster at all altitudes, out turned the Mossie at every altitude and by a big margin and far surpassed the Mossie in rate of climb." Wow! I believe that I would have lost the $500 also.

Dana Bell · Jul 14, 2020

Hi Navalwarrior,

Yeah, that's the story they want you to believe, but the whole thing was rigged. I've been in touch with Kratz, Vicellio (who ran the test), and the British pilot who flew the Mosquito. The British Mosquito production was tied up, with nothing available for the Americans, so the P-61 had to win the flyoff to save face for the Americans. It's a long, fugly, complicated story, and it's taken years to find all the hidden truths and missing pieces...

Cheers,

Dana

johnbr · Jul 14, 2020

Download wallpapers by subject aviation

northrop-p-61-black-widow-american-heavy-night-fighter-world-war-ii-usa-military-aircraft.jpg

Navalwarrior · Jul 15, 2020

Dana Bell said:
Hi Navalwarrior,

Yeah, that's the story they want you to believe, but the whole thing was rigged. I've been in touch with Kratz, Vicellio (who ran the test), and the British pilot who flew the Mosquito. The British Mosquito production was tied up, with nothing available for the Americans, so the P-61 had to win the flyoff to save face for the Americans. It's a long, fugly, complicated story, and it's taken years to find all the hidden truths and missing pieces...

Cheers,

Dana

Resp:
The P-61 was fast, just can't believe it could out maneuver a Mosquito. What surprised me was that it was the British that wanted a night fighter that could loiter for 8 hrs; a result of night intrusions beginning during the BOB. Northrop responded, just that many years passed before the P-61 arrived in the ETO.

The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum has a nearly completed (restored) P-61. I believe a 'B' variant. An awful lot of work to bring it back to 'newly manufactured' state. Beautiful !