Crimea_River
Marshal
Yup. And P-38s and Ansons.
Post war conversions, water bombers, executive conversions, bring it! (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter skyking1
- Start date
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
- Thread starter
- #22
wood plane outside was doomed. There is a wood wing Mooney sitting outside that belonged to a friend. It is toast for sure.
Woods Airways flew two Ansons on passenger services between Perth Airport and Rottnest Island WA. VH-WAB "Willem de Vlamingh" (ex RAAF MG841) seen at Rottnest Island on 26 December 1958.
More details and other examples here:
More details and other examples here:
- Thread starter
- #25
Here's probably the most recognizable conversion of a B-25 in the aviation history: Gen. Dreedle's transport from the Movie "Catch 22", a Mitchell still flying today under the name "Berlin Express" - B-25H s/n 43-4432:
In the movie the same a/c was used to represent a bomber named "Berlin Express", with tail number 6N:
...and as one of Milo Minderbinder's planes from the MM syndicate:
And a modern view of "Berlin Express" - note the clipped "speed"-wings.
First appearance as a transport, still with the H-nose, engines with S-stacks and entrance from below:
Slightly different with a J2 strafer-nose, smooth engine cowlings with one exhaust and a long fuselage-end:
And here's the moment when Barbara Hutton and Porfirio Rubirosa come in play:
N10V was in fact an Executive transport. It was purchased and reconfigured as an exec by American socialite, and debutante, Barbara Hutton heiress to the Worthworth empire. She bought it for her boyfriend, a Dominican diplomat / International Playboy Porfirio Rubirosa called Rubi by his friends and lovers. He became Hutton's fifth husband. While Rubirosa was married to Hutton, he was chasing Hungarian-born American socialite and actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Rubirosa flew the ship transoceanic in August 1954 to Cannes and again to Nice in 1955, on both trips Gabor was his "passenger". When Rubirosa wouldn't break off his desire for Gabor, Hutton had the B-25 sold and so it was. The tables near the blister windows were of rich wood, inlaid with gold.
Thankfully there are several photos from that trip with Zsa Zsa Gabor to Cannes. Here they are:
As you can see the engines of today's "Berlin Express" are different and not the same as above or as in the movie. The a/c stil has clipped wings though. The side door was added after the plane was sold by Barbara Hutton - in the above photos the original bottom hatch is clearly visible.
Here's a late photo with the side door:
...and in the famous scene from "Catch 22". Dreedle's WAC was played by Susanne Benton:
Cheers!
P.S. Forgot to mention sources:
Text was quoted from here: Porfirio Rubirosa and B-25s - Aero Vintage Books
Photos with Rubirosa and Gabor are from this collection: Search Results
Photos with "Berlin Express" in different times are from the net/web.
In the movie the same a/c was used to represent a bomber named "Berlin Express", with tail number 6N:
...and as one of Milo Minderbinder's planes from the MM syndicate:
And a modern view of "Berlin Express" - note the clipped "speed"-wings.
First appearance as a transport, still with the H-nose, engines with S-stacks and entrance from below:
Slightly different with a J2 strafer-nose, smooth engine cowlings with one exhaust and a long fuselage-end:
And here's the moment when Barbara Hutton and Porfirio Rubirosa come in play:
N10V was in fact an Executive transport. It was purchased and reconfigured as an exec by American socialite, and debutante, Barbara Hutton heiress to the Worthworth empire. She bought it for her boyfriend, a Dominican diplomat / International Playboy Porfirio Rubirosa called Rubi by his friends and lovers. He became Hutton's fifth husband. While Rubirosa was married to Hutton, he was chasing Hungarian-born American socialite and actress, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Rubirosa flew the ship transoceanic in August 1954 to Cannes and again to Nice in 1955, on both trips Gabor was his "passenger". When Rubirosa wouldn't break off his desire for Gabor, Hutton had the B-25 sold and so it was. The tables near the blister windows were of rich wood, inlaid with gold.
Thankfully there are several photos from that trip with Zsa Zsa Gabor to Cannes. Here they are:
As you can see the engines of today's "Berlin Express" are different and not the same as above or as in the movie. The a/c stil has clipped wings though. The side door was added after the plane was sold by Barbara Hutton - in the above photos the original bottom hatch is clearly visible.
Here's a late photo with the side door:
...and in the famous scene from "Catch 22". Dreedle's WAC was played by Susanne Benton:
Cheers!
P.S. Forgot to mention sources:
Text was quoted from here: Porfirio Rubirosa and B-25s - Aero Vintage Books
Photos with Rubirosa and Gabor are from this collection: Search Results
Photos with "Berlin Express" in different times are from the net/web.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #28
Count de Bastrop
Airman 1st Class
- 100
- Dec 14, 2004
special ed
1st Lieutenant
- 7,035
- May 13, 2018
I have never had a woman ever buy a plane for me - not even a model - not even a plastic kit.
Circa 1950, Spartan Aircraft did an executive conversion of this A-26 for Phillips Petroleum. My father was a student and later an employee at Spartan and said that Phillips was scouring the country looking for more A-26's. An FAA inspector who had been at Spartan about a year after my father said that they did quite a few Lockheed PV executive conversions. Not a civilian conversion but Spartan overhauled B-17's for the Coast Guard and modified them to search and rescue configuration with a lifeboat mounted on the belly.
Attachments
Last edited:
cammerjeff
Tech Sergeant
cammerjeff
Tech Sergeant
cammerjeff
Tech Sergeant
And an Engine Test Bed and a water Bomber
source https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/b-17-flying-fortress-launching-v-1.html
source https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/b-17-flying-fortress-launching-v-1.html
cammerjeff
Tech Sergeant
The third one is so fugly it could almost be French
The Howard 250s/350s were conversions, while the 500s utilized some refurbished parts i.e. tail, center section, nose with new wet outer wings, pressurized, extended fuselage (both using original jigs) and R-2800s. I cadged a summer/night High School job based on Science Fair awards and teen hubris.
