SEATAC 400 Posted January 30, 2016 Report Share Posted January 30, 2016 From 1944. B-24 Liberator: "Ditching of a B-24 Airplane into the James River. Pretty fascinating to watch how it hits the water and the fuselage cracks in two. Then she floats for a bit as one of the pilots takes a moment to comb his hair for the camera. There is some good slow-speed camera footage. Guess it makes sense to use a B-24, the fuselage resembles that of a boat Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Good stuff, SEATAC. Some lighter moments included... "...a moderate overcast at water level" - - - wouldn't that be fog? The large dent in the steel bottom..." No wonder it went down, they made it from steel. John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
hlminx 301 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 That was really fascinating to watch. I wonder if they would have fared better if they had been a tiny bit flatter. Loved that the pilot took a moment to comb his hair too...made it look like the whole thing was just another day at the office It's got me thinking back to that crash a few years ago in an old 727 in the desert. At least these boys kept the wheels up.. Thanks for posting. Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,316 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Test pilots are so cool. Link to post Share on other sites
Tony Kemp 18 Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 The B-24 Liberator was a brilliant piece of kit though some would disagree, I believe they flew many missions just like the B17 sometimes with them. this was an excellent piece of footage from the archive, A good aviator must always look his best Tony Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 The Liberator was a reasonably good airplane given the time and the situation, but I'd stop short of calling it brilliant. As a bomber it was OK when employed in large numbers and suitably escorted. Some variants were extremely well suited for what they did, particularly maritime patrol. Its two primary deficiencies were, a) it was difficult to fly because of the Davis wing, and b) it had a glass jaw. The B-17 could typically absorb much more battle damage and continue to fly or at least descend slowly under control. The B-24 came unglued or caught fire pretty easily. How many photos have you seen of heavily battle-damaged B-24s on their home airfields? It happened often with B-17s which had a reputation for bringing the crew home with the plane in tatters - not so much for the Liberator. If hit, it was probably going to spin, burn or break up - or some awful combination of the three. John Link to post Share on other sites
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