B-25 Mitchell Bomber | Inside The Cockpit ft. "Miss Mitchell"

Jump on board a beautifully restored and maintained WW2 bomber, a B-25 Mitchell. This aircraft - "Miss Mitchell" - is kept in flight worthy condition by the CAF Minnesota Wing.
CAF MN Wing: www.cafmn.org
Ride Info - Living History Flight Experience: www.cafmn.org/history-flights...
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- Timecodes -
00:00 - B-25
01:35 - Nose
04:00 - Wing and Engine
06:39 - Fuselage
07:45 - Tail
09:13 - Bombbay
11:10 - Inside
11:40 - Nose (Bombardier)
13:55 - Tunnel
14:40 - Cockpit
20:35 - Pilot Interviews
23:35 - Front Compartment
24:30 - Upper Turret
26:22 - Fuselage (Radio, Gunners)
- Audio -
Music and Sfx from Epidemic Sound

[@brennus57]

Absolutely gorgeous aircraft. One of my absolute all-time favorites.

[@sghound]

the best aircraft tour guide ever

[@williamromine5715]

I agree. It looks like it could be fun to fly. Of course, during the war, the term "fun to fly" was probably not said. It's a shame that it takes a war to build such a beautiful machine. It's also a shame that so few are in existence. Hats' off to those responsible for such wonderful restoration of this plane.

[@trailmixup8843]

Oh sweet, I’ve actually flown on Miss Mitchell so it’s great to see a video on her

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

Nice, what seat did you have?

[@rickybanzai2199]

My absolute favorite aircraft of all times. Last year I made 300 km to see it in Salzburg Airport...just to discover it was under maintenance and not available for public. I watched it from 84 m with some glass in between...

[@minnesotawing2813]

Thanks so much for showcasing Miss Mitchell and our museum!

[@RedEyesBDC]

Been excited seeing the B-25 on the channel. It is a very beautiful aircraft with so much character. It screams Adventure.

[@gordonwallin2368]

Beautiful, my examiner for my Private Licenece-and later fellow Instructor- flew B-25's for RCAF. Cheers from the Pacific West Coast of Canada.

[@gort8203]

He didn't mention the reason for the gull wing. The original design was for a straight wing with full span dihedral. Testing indicated that the aircraft had excessive lateral stability. This was likely due to the combination of dihedral with a mid-mounted wing. The dihedral of the outer panels was reduced to decrease the lateral stability.

[@100dampf]

14:07 damn, never knew the B 29 was so roomy if you could etner it while being 190 metres high XD

[@michaelguerin56]

As you say, Christoph, this is a beautiful restoration. All credit to volunteers, donors and those who pay for rides.

[@josephmocol1702]

I actually got the chance to sit in the cockpit, at the behest of the CAF crew when they were in Fargo North Dakota at the Air Museum here. I’m good friends with the archivist at the museum and I used to work with the museum at the time they were here for the AirSho. Miss Mitchell’s interior is gorgeous, word cannot describe how amazing it was. Bismarck, if you want, I can get you in contact with the Museum Staff at the Fargo Air Museum for some of their aircraft.

[@papps44]

Always remember when my old man used to work at Dublin airport in one of the hangers was a flying B-25 Mitchell in khaki livery. Perhaps used in the original Catch 22 movie. Used to explore inside it but never touched anything other than play with the 50 cal as a young boy would. I reckon it went back to the US. They also had a Junkers transport for a while but don't know where that went. Great memories of an aircraft that probably saw action in WW2.

[@trickydicky2908]

A B-25 flew over my house at low altitude while leaving a small regional airport, airshow. I heard it well enough in advance to run outside. I was totally gobsmacked! It sounded like dozens of hot rods going over me.

[@MrLBPug]

Two fourteen cylinder radials would indeed sound like that. Initially, the engines had individual exhaust stacks for each cylinder on the engine cowlings, making it very noisy for the crew. Many B-25 crew members suffered hearing loss as a result. Eventually, this arrangement was changed to a partial ring collector for seven stacks, that exited on the outboard side of each engine nacelle (as is the case with Miss Mitchell). This alleviated the noisiness somewhat.

[@neilwilson5785]

I was lucky to see some of these at Luton Airport in England back in 1979 when the movie Hanover Street was being filmed. We only got a peek through the hangar doors, but I will never forget it.

[@glennheth3472]

I love this so much, especially seeing the Hamilton Standard props My Grandpa worked for Hamilton Standard and during the War he trained Marine and Army Air Corps mechanics on how to maintain the propellers. He knew those props as well as the guys who designed them. He always had a lot of crazy stories about his time in the Pacific and Korea. He worked in the aviation industry for his entire life but if you ever asked him what his favorite aircraft was, every time he would say it was the Mitchell.

[@frasermitchell9183]

My father maintained the radios in B25s operated by 139 Wing, 2nd Tactical Airforce, RAF. He actually flew in one when the wing moved up from Brussels to Achmer aerodrome near Osnabruck and the war ended a few days later. There is a B25 restored into 139 wing colours and named "Grumpy" after one of the wing aircraft. In 1999, I attended an air show at Dunsfold with my parents. This was where 139 Wing was based, and Grumpy was as the show, and I watched her start engines and take off. As I recall, the engines were Wright Cyclones which had 14 cylinders in two circles of 7.

[@ewok40k]

The gunship version was ww2 equivalent of A-10... How many 50 cals do you want installed, sir? YES.

[@Caseytify]

Funny you should mention that; for a long time I've thought the A-10 vertical stabs were quite similar to the B-25.

[@MrLBPug]

Not to mention the B-25 variants armed with 75mm cannons 😆 (Although the effectiveness of that setup was questionable; skip bombing or rocket attack did much better against enemy shipping in the Pacific).

[@sfeddie1]

What a beautifully restored aircraft. Gorgeous. I was surprised to learn that that the 25 still used fabric covered control surfaces. I thought by the middle of WWII everything would be metal. My dad was a tail gunner/armorer in B-25’s in the Mediterranean in 1944. He was only 19 at the time. When I was young he would tell me things about the B-25, Iike the tunnels for traveling fore and aft, and as the tail gunner, he would have to keep the canopy shut lest he get showered from the crew up front using the ”relief” tubes. I always loved this airplane. Hopefully I’ll get to ride in one before it’s too late.

[@terryshoebridge1123]

Brilliant and informative. One of many models I enjoyed making years ago.

[@PeterOConnell-pq6io]

B-25 was such a remarkably versatile, and advanced aircraft for its time.

[@andrewpinner3181]

Thanks Chris & everybody that contributed to this, excellent !

[@wallacetillery5557]

The B-25 Mitchell is such a beautifully well balanced medium bombers ever created and one ofmy favorites along with the P-40 Warhawk.

[@glennb1679]

Gorgeous aircraft and a great show!

[@Forge5304]

I really enjoyed that! I grew up around those wonderful B-25 Mitchells and I miss them greatly!

[@busterdee8228]

Good tour Chris. Thanks. It's amazing that it sports a Sperry top turret. Other restos use the Martin, which is not correct (but more available?). Early 25s had the turret closer to the waist. I don't understand how so much weight (700 lb?) can be shifted so far (or why).

[@jeffjones4135]

Beautiful plane. Great tour.

[@americanpatriot2422]

Great video and presentation

[@johnschofield9496]

Beautiful restoration and wonderful presentation. Thanks to all.

[@hctim96]

What a beautiful aircraft..

[@hungryhank6044]

That was a fantastic video! What a beautiful airplane. Thank you for that informative tour!

[@kevintemple245]

My absolute favorite two engine bomber, and top three favorite planes of all time.

[@michaelamos4651]

Great presentation as usual. So informative. You must have sweated buckets 🎉

[@JPR3D]

I always look forward to these, another great tour.

[@divarachelenvy]

fantastic tour, sublime aircraft.

[@johnfrench1239]

Superb piece - great work as ever thank you.

[@e.user.2226]

Wow... what a treasure trove of information. Kudos to you and all your supporters for producing this ! Thanks !

[@mpersad]

What a terrific restoration and she is a credit to all the incredible work that CAF do. Thank you, as always for this great series, within an exceptional channel.

[@cannonfodder4376]

Absolutely gorgeous aircraft and excellent Inside The Cockpit. Informative and enlightening to see so much love and care put into this.

[@charlesodonnell2993]

Wonderful presentation!

[@David-wy9jl]

My cousin's father was shot down in a Mitchell bomber during WWII off the coast of Burma. They never found any of the crew members to this day. Somehow I think he still mourns him to this day.

[@user-jf1kd1fu8m]

it was amazing to see how they seem to fit so much into the B25...and also as usual a great tour...

[@tokencivilian8507]

Great vid. Love the B-25. Excellent detailed overview of the airplane. Thank you to the CAF for granting access. Minor nit pick to help your otherwise excellent English - around 4:30 or so, in re feathering the propellers, perpendicular is at 90 degrees to the referenced item (that is, the propeller would be a perfect air brake if it were perpendicular to the air flow), while parallel is aligned with the referenced item. In this context, a feathered propeller would be parallel to the air flow.

[@WilliamJohnwon1522]

Beautiful aircraft, it looks a nice design.

[@sanguma]

absolute favourite

[@petergrundy5740]

Excellent video!

[@keab42]

Oh wow. She looks amazing.

[@lukehorning3404]

It’s beautiful and great video

[@earlyriser8998]

Loved this video and the fit out/restoration was fantastic . Long time supporter of the Houston area CAF but will donate to Minnesota today.

[@mitchbertrang4809]

Thank you for the donation.

[@frankbarnwell____]

Might have been Spencer Tracy that stuck the B-25 and it's shape into my soul. Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. Having been to sea in similar sea-state, Doolittle and those guys, .... they had ba**s, dedication! Thank you Chris!

[@jiml5837]

Love the clip art picture for this video.

[@SR-lo8yg]

very informative

[@Keethraxmn]

I live in St. Paul. I see them out flying all the time. Assumed they were coming from farther away. WIll have to go check it out.

[@SaperPl1]

Another cool video from the inside

[@bigswedewulferine19]

I love the hat :) great video!

[@MrAjmay1]

Got to ride in a B17 at Oshkosh 2 years ago... Was so hard to mentally justify the cost at the time. Once I climbed in and those Wright engines started that chonky, throaty roar, and smelled that burning oil, money was no object. Pretty much still smile just thinking about it. Met some great guys, or maybe I should say, I met a bunch of normal guys (including a Brit) of all ages, who were all having a great time and had smiles from ear to ear...it was like a bunch of kids at Willy Wonka's. My favorite was peeking my head out the radio operator's window (they take out the plexiglass insert and just have the metal bar grid, so you can fit your head up and into the slipstream...so freaking awesome...just take off your hat first. Fly 'em while they can still be flown, is my advice to anyone who loves militaria, history or aviation. Obviously Chris checks all 3 boxes.

[@rand0mn0]

What a pretty airplane.

[@enzofaria777]

14:06 praise the military aviation history lord with his glorious 190 meters in height!!

[@whbrown1862]

Beautiful aircraft and an awesome video. I wonder if the aircraft was one of the original "Catch-22" bombers. Maybe you can do a video on the original "Catch-22" movie and the efforts to gather a fleet of B-25s for the film sometime in the future.

[@Alexandros11]

I was impressed to discover that Chris is 190 metres tall at 14:13 , I mean I knew Germans were tall but wow

[@busterdee8228]

I had a friend who was a pool pilot on Panchito. At an airshow, he told me the ac had had a nose wheel shimmy. On a hunch, he got looking at the Norden and found it was not properly secured. Securing it cured the shimmy.

[@turkeytrac1]

Great vid on a fantastic plane. Why are the control surfaces fabric covered and not covered in aluminum?

[@TheFunkhouser]

Ì love these 25s, thanks German 😊

[@brealistic3542]

Can you actually believe they launched a bunch of those off an old aircraft carrier without a Steam catapult? It still amazes me. Was it the Hornet ? I forget. Incredible.

[@PetesGuide]

At 14:00 you said you were roughly 190 meters tall. The weather must be pretty rough up at that flight level!

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

The winds, I tell you! No wonder my hair is always messy.

[@nanorider426]

28:42 "...Indiana Jones yourself..." 😆😆😆

[@michaelbourgeault9409]

watching this video has me wondering if Colonel Moran can fit inside the tail turret of a B25?

[@CockadoodleDont]

Oh no the B25 is on fire

[@michaelfrank2266]

Had I known you were in Wisconsin I would have found a way to buy you a beer. The internet is what it is. Be well.

[@hlynnkeith9334]

RE: Waist guns Were waist guns effective? The USAAF flew many bombers with waist guns. Cannot think of any other air force that did. Were waist guns effective or a waste of resources?

[@kakhipudhi]

Would the concussion or vibrations from the flex 50 affect the Norden sight if both were installed, or from the fixed 50?

[@MilitaryAviationHistory]

If I understand it correctly, the sight and guns would not be installed at the same time. They are both shown here for demonstration purposes.

[@jehl1963]

At 9:00 -- is Port and Starboard in German (Backbord und Steuerbord) aligned differently than in the English? 😉

[@kumasan727]

I kept expecting you to start singing cotton eyed Bo

[@janlindtner305]

👍👍👍

[@robertsteinbeiss8478]

190 meters, that head makes you look shorter😂

[@NathanDudani]

Noice

[@englishpassport6590]

I thought the B25 was the really streamlined bomber with the single tailplane?

[@MrLBPug]

That would be either the B-26 Marauder or the A-26 Invader (confusingly _also_ designated B-26 from 1948 onward, when the Marauder was already withdrawn from service).

[@jannegrey593]

Hello Everyone!

[@kevinruddthestudrudd0074]

14:06 You're 190 meters long?!?

[@patrickwentz8413]

Very luck aircraft. Completed 130 missions over North Africa and Italy.

[@MsZeeZed]

Woo-hoo, that’s some catch 😹

[@werre2]

with that hat you're the relic airplane jesus

[@PetesGuide]

At

[@rodroper211]

nice airplane. i assume you losing a bet is why youre wearing that hat 😉

[@brianholland2916]

Ahhh yess! When men didnt think they could get pregnant....

[@damirblazevic4823]

Excellent video, amazing review. And such a gorgeous airplane. American WWII planes are usually less then elegant (Mustang being a notable exception, and also a North American Aviation product), but this Mitchell possesses a certain powerful, muscular elegance, it is so well proportioned, it seems almost sculpted. Every line and every curve seems to be at the exactly right place. Magnificent warbird!

[@therealanyaku]

A very late pre-war design. The designers were probably subconsciously influenced by Art Deco.

[@MrLBPug]

You haven't seen the Mitchell's direct predecessor, the North American NA-40, then. That was rather ungainly in appearance. I would also file the P-38 Lightning and P-39/P-63 under the 'elegant' category, by the way. But perhaps American aviation engineering went for rugged functionality more than it did for elegance.

[@damirblazevic4823]

@@MrLBPug I agree about the ruggedness and functionality being the priority. It makes a lot of sense. Nevertheless, from time to time, the Americans could (and did) manage to combine elegance and ruggedness in one package. IMHO, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt also falls into this category. Although huge by the standards of the day, it is well proportioned and quite pleasing to the eye