Fly along in a North American B-25 Cockpit from Engine Start to Shut Down

[@claudio743]

Thanks for not adding any music

[@jackkevillemedia]

There's nothing worse.

[@passwordbosco407]

ANY DAY flying a B-25 is a good one, unless it was 80 years or so ago. My favorite aircraft of WWII. I saw an interview with an old B-24 pilot where he said that when he sat at a bar while on R & R, he could always tell a B-25 pilot because they were all deaf. Ha ! RIP hero's...

[@jimmarshall5453]

Nice story about the rel greatest generation. My dad flew both plane types and many more as they made him an instructor at William's Field AZ first, before flying The Hump in nearly 30 missions, most overfull with av gas instead of bombs and protective 50 cal bullets.

[@DragerPilot]

So true. My father was a B-25 pilot and he started having hearing problems not many years after the war. He lived to be 93 years old, but was completely deaf the last few years of his life. Even so, I am certain he wouldn’t have traded flying the B-25 for a lifetime of perfect hearing. Good or bad, like so many, those years were the highlight of his life.

[@spookypepys4]

My Dad piloted a B-25 off of Attu. I remember him commenting about the opening scene of Catch-22 and the unmistakable engine sound.

[@tomservo5347]

A WWII veteran who used to get his car serviced where I worked right out of high school flew a B-17 and B-25. He said the B-25 was a lovely plane to fly and very stable and forgiving.

[@tomservo5347]

The WW2 pilot did say the B-17 was easy to fly also-just take off and landings could be a little tricky as the huge tail was easy to over control. The B-25 he claimed was rock solid because of the nose gear. I asked him "What did you guys do on long flights if you had to relieve yourself?" Right off he said "Relief tube that would pull up between your legs." I've read the B-17's had a chemical toilet but not sure about the B-25 for more dire calls of nature.

[@mitoys3628]

Great reliable aircraft. Was still used by A.F. for multi engine training during the 50;s . I was in Cadet Class 55- R and flew the B- 25 J models at Lubbock, Texas.

[@airplanegam3001]

Absolutely gorgeous video done with a HD quality recorder. This has got to be the best interior, color video of a B-25 from takeoff to landing. Simply marvelous work. Thank you very much for posting this. It gives a glimpse, albeit a tiny one, into what it takes to get a bird like this into the air and how it's handled. Simply outstanding work....thank you!!!

[@davek641]

Amazing. My dad flew the 25 in WWII. Thanks for giving me a taste if what he experienced.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Your welcome!

[@rayjones3212]

WOW. I'd never fit in that narrow cockpit. Sure do like the sounds of those engines. Thanks for posting this.

[@zetapal]

Ray Jones Those are twin 14 cylinder radial air cooled Wright R-2600's. Takeoff power 1542 hp each.

[@larryholmes69]

Excellent video.My dad was in B25's in 98 Squadron RAF in WW2 . Thank you .

[@worldadventureman]

Nice one, My Dad also flew them in WW2 in 226 squadron.

[@charliecrane8294]

Awesome video.....thanks! My dad flew B-25's in WWII.

[@valeriegriner5644]

My great-uncle flew B-25's in WWII...over in Papua, New Guinea.

[@thane9]

@@valeriegriner5644 Mine too, in the 500th Bomb squadron. I'm named after him and hope I make him proud.

[@MrSebfrench76]

These guys seem to know their job.Thanks for sharing this vid ,you made the day of a french enthusiast .

[@tootired76]

Pretty Effing awesome!! Especially since there was no corny music playing! I would have loved to hear the IC !

[@philmann3476]

Love the hint of a smile on the PIC's face at 1:02 or so. These guys were having fun. (No doubt different during the war, but...)

[@dgb681]

Hands down best video of a B25 I have ever seen!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thank You!

[@braydenjewell]

I agree! this was worth the watch :) It sounds so hard " to a non plane flying person" to fly it. i can't hear how the revs are it sounds like its either full power or about to die. beautiful video though :)

[@Nuance5]

He's flying very light; Only using about 80% power for takeoff, and really babying the engines the rest of the flight to keep costs down. Beautiful plane!

[@rpurdey]

Nuance5 Part of that is they don't have 100/130 avgas anymore but are using 100LL. Merlin's, for instance, are limited to 55 inches on 100LL.

[@Wildturkey10121]

she seemed to be sputtering and poping a bit, a lot of vibrations in flight....thought she would run smoother than that. I have a question, the red handles, are those cowl flaps I was trying to figure that out. I saw the power on the left, I assume middle are prop pitch but I couldn't figure out the red ones.

[@patedwards932]

Thanks for the video. Hard to imagine our dad's were 22-24 yrs old flying these tanks around. Would have loved to watch this with my dad and hear his commentary. He flew out of Kunming, China and was in on the Thanksgiving raid on Formosa. Lots of great stories. A lot of the early pilots taught when they got back to the States. Young men teaching younger men. Dad never flew again after the war. It would have been fun to see if he remembered the drill. Thanks for all the good insights from you guys. Really appreciate it.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

It would be so great to hear stories from those B-25 pilots that fought in the war.

[@paralyse78]

For whomever was asking about the "four hands" takeoff, B-25's (like every big radial-powered aircraft) have a tendency to pull to one side constantly due to the gyroscopic effect of the prop rotation+engine torque acting on the airframe. Basically, the captain or left-seater is busy working the rudder and wheel while the 1FO or right-seater is using the throttles to help taxi the plane via differential engine thrust. There is some overlap, because the 1FO is also working the checklist and verifying takeoff settings (flaps, carb heat, lights, mixture, mags, RPM, prop) as the two of them are setting up for the roll. Also, someone asked about the mixture: the mixture has 3 settings (full rich, auto lean, and idle cutoff) - after they are in the air, trimmed and gear up, and have sufficient airspeed, you can see them move the mixture to auto lean (middle position) and lock the lever with the knob below. Note that they remember to put the mixture full rich prior to landing. They also do a good job showing correct engine start L to R (mags off - 8 blades - mags on - (prime) - throttle to idle on start/oil pressure and gen light off.) When he lands and pulls the throttles to idle, the popping is raw fuel being sucked past the carb by engine vacuum, where it ignites in the exhaust.

[@terryofford4977]

Thank you so much 'bizatch' for answering the questions regarding the 'four handed t/o' Almost all the Piston jobs,needed this focus of attention which of course isn't required on 'today's Jets' which have automated systems computer controlled of course.As for the /popping sound, sort of 'natural' to those who flew in the Piston era, something very special those days as a good Flight Engineer or Front Office crew were able to detect any likely fault.Today, most faults would be a buzzer/red light etc.,This would have to be the best Video especially of the Old War Birds, a truly amazing production and thanks to all for producing this.Terry Offord.

[@kelharper7971]

Technically speaking that's not "gyroscopic effect", it's torque from the props resisting the air. Gyroscopic precession causes an aircraft to yaw left when pitched up, or right when pitched down (for example). That same example would tend to cause the reverse: right turns cause nose to pitch down, etc. Was the infamous effect that made the Sopwith Camel so hard to fly (and so maneuverable). Which is interestingly often called "torque" problems. They aren't the same thing. Torque is the engine trying to spin the aircraft to the left instead of spinning the prop to the right, causes a wing to dip. Also the effect of having two sets of blades rising and descending asymmetrically has an effect on the lift each wing makes more lift/drag on one wing than the other, etc (although that's probably more noticeable with singles than twins, along with propwash effect). In any case, any aircraft with a significant rotating weight in the front (or anywhere on it) will experience gyroscopic forces, but they aren't the ones the pilots have to worry about the most. The rotating weight is a relatively small percentage of the aircraft weight, unlike the Camel, and most aircraft aren't so close-coupled, and have more tail to counterbalance and countermand gyroscopic inputs. But I make no claims as to being a "real" aviation expert. That's just what I've gathered over the years on the subject.

[@Bubbmann]

I absolutely love the raw, and close-up experience. I'm super jealous that I wasn't able to tag along, let alone try flying it myself!

[@waynesnyder4906]

Awesome video ! My Dad was a mechanic with a bomber squadron in the PTO during WW2 - the B-25 was his favorite airplane. Thank you for this video.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thank YOU for watching!

[@brianjschumer]

I love the green glass, Helped with sun glare, I remember seeing pictures of old cars that has that type of glass before sun visors

[@corvette724]

This Vid is awesome. It´s like beeing on board. Crew management is fantastic. Thx for upload.

[@137bandit]

My grandfather Walter Brusse was a bombardier/navigator on a B25. 52 combat missions in Africa.

[@salkdjfasldkfjsdlk]

Now that's teamwork. Thank you for posting.

[@robertisley798]

Great video...thanks. My Dad was a B24 instructor based out of McCook Nebraska AAFB. Nice to experience the pilots eye view of what these guys experienced.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thanks for watching!

[@smaze1782]

Beautiful. A true legendary aircraft. Fantastic video!

[@dougkubash8673]

Excellent video!! Keep them coming. Thanks for not including some goofy music - just the sounds of the aircraft

[@neilschmid4991]

Love the B-25 my favorite plane, could do it all. Hope to ride in one before I pass on.

[@tomasolivieri1615]

Excellent Video..!! My faher used to fly the B-25 Mitchell for he Venezuelan Air Force in 1965, then he stated to fly the British Camberra. Greeting from Venezuela. I just suscribed to your channel. Thanks for posting his video...!!

[@johnyted]

One of the most beautiful videos I've ever seen! Impressive how reliable the B-25 is!

[@rpk5568]

Great video, sounds like my lawnmower. Very Good!

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Fantastic plane! Thanks for sharing, and greets from the Netherlands!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thanks!

[@williamwagner3211]

Loved the flight thanks for showing.

[@TeemarkConvair]

one of THE best "ride-along" vids!! thanks

[@beerrunner8153]

I was inside one today and got to look at the entire bomber inside and out. What a blast. Now I'm thinking about taking a ride in one this weekend.

[@raulduke6105]

I knew a ‘25 tail gunner and he spoke highly of it

[@davidsoom6383]

It's like I was riding up there with them in a jump seat, great video! In my younger days we had a fellow at our airport who had a restored Hudson Bomber. Now the "cool" factor was a lot less than if flying a B-25 but you still had the big radials swinging those props and the mass of the whole airplane, it was similar to any medium WW2 bomber and I was glad to have logged 47 hours in it. This B-25 video was fantastic, indeed!

[@lsisthewatcher4084]

Great vid , i feel as though i know the two pilots amazing the laid back way they flew ,thanks for sharing that.

[@craigpennington1251]

Yes Yes Yes-after that flight I feel like a new person! WOW! Thanks guys for a fabulous flight. Lets go to Kansas City. Take good care of that plane. Very nice.

[@56hueycobra]

I Really Like the B-25 Bomber Video Too and GREAT View of Flight and Watching the Instrument Too 🛩🛩👍. Thank You GUYS 🛩🛩👍

[@pietluijken3357]

Nice video, how great to fly in this scenery. from a B-25 Sarinah captain.

[@tonycook2347]

Beautiful. It was like I was along for the ride. thank you.

[@GamePlayWithNolan]

lol, I saw this B25 at an airshow and they let you walk up a ladder thing to look inside and I thought it looked awesome! But the cockpit was all lit up with some kind of green light and I feel like an idiot because it was just the sun shade the whole time. XD

[@GamePlayWithNolan]

Unless it was a different B25 though.

[@markthomas6436]

Got to fly in this wonderful bird in August, 2021, in Springfield, Illinois. It was a real treat!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

It is a lot of fun flying in the B-25

[@РаисШаймарданов]

Спасибо! Мой отец был командиром B-25J ВВС Красной армии. Последний боевой вылет был по центру Берлина. Зенитным огнем был подбит один мотор. Возвращались на одном работающем моторе. Спасибо за видео. Я стал лучше представлять как это было.

[@hewhohasnoidentity4377]

Thank you for this video and all the work you do preserving this national treasure and making it available for the public to view and learn about.

[@Jeppelelle]

Wow, that airplane looks super stable, like it flies on rails or something, good pilot and awesome video

[@Motocicleiros]

I hadn't idea that there was such a long lag between to turn the controls and the response of the plane! It was a nice fly!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thanks for watching the video!

[@davef.2329]

Good ole' B-25, snap, crackle, pop on the ground, and chugga-chug-chug in the air! How could you possible spend a better afternoon than this?

[@andrewhendrix2297]

I got to crawl through Maid in the Shade today in Shelby county, Alabama. Those things were made for smaller men, but so beautiful. The B-17 that was there (Sentimental Journey) too

[@Lockbar]

love the green sun shade.....

[@mikeunt7021]

I really enjoy these videos, the perspective and how the engines are not drowned out by music. My grand uncle flew over 50 B-25 missions in China & Burma amd was one of the ricipents of the Distinguished Flying Cross. I dont know what the names of any of the planes he flew were, That would be really neat for me personally to find out. he just passed away a few years back. I would really love to get the chance to ride or learn to operate and fly a B-25 myself, I think I would like it more for sightseeing than with a Cessna with flap windows that sound like they are beating the plane apart the whole time... Thank you for taking the time and doing what all it takes to bring experiences like this for others to enjoy! This and other videos you have uploaded are outstanding!

[@burtmurphy6261]

God how I love the sound of chop chop radials

[@chriscrain2878]

Sounds like a big bucket of bolts ... and I love it!! 🇺🇸

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thats exactly what it is

[@nigelyorkshiremanwadeley6263]

Just stunning. What an experience to get up and be a passenger in something like that.

[@tomboice929]

Both pilots look like they are having fun.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

They did have fun!

[@scotty2307]

Wow, those engines sure start nicely. Awesome video.

[@schoocg]

My father flew the B-25 in India-Burma-China under Chennault. Always my dream to fly in one. I have had the pleasure seeing them do fly overs and taking off. What a beauty.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

I agree, the B25 is a beauty. I hope you will have a chance to fly on one.

[@susanelder9890]

Is your father still alive? My father also flew in the B-25 as a tail gunner in China in 1941 with the AVG.

[@schoocg]

Susan Elder , unfortunately not. I had children late in life and my son just commissioned as an officer in the US Army. My daughter wore their grandfathers Flying Tiger jacket at the ceremony.

[@milano61]

Good cockpit view of the action. But I would rather hear the cockpit voice chatter than the drone of the radial engines. This plane just (August 2019) visited Chico CA airport with the B-17 "Sentimental Journey" also giving rides.

[@SCYTHE2525]

Gorgeous aircraft. My favorite from WWII. Sorry B-17, you're beautiful too.

[@EdWhisenantAviation]

Absolutely an incredible video, "Great Footage" and you have a new Subscriber. Take care :)

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thanks!

[@gordonclark7632]

You can sense the enjoyment of the pilots through the video. I wondered if they were old time B25 pilots?

[@VMCAviationVideos]

I don't thin they were "old time B25 pilots"

[@vincemarshall9520]

Great video and beautiful location for VFR. Thanks for posting!

[@tellmesomething2go]

That looks so easy to fly. I`d like to get one of those, in a seaplane version. You know- for mountain top vacations.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

👍

[@will6825]

What a sound. This is on my bucket list to take a ride. Live in Mesa Az. We have a B25 at Falcon field Also a B-17. Sentimental Journey. My father-in-law was a tail gunner in a B-17 8th Airforce out oh Ipswich England.

[@LV_daWEED]

No warning going off for low altitude is so nice 😊

[@Dick15759]

Also, ground steering is done by differential engine power to save brake wear.

[@garyjohnson2879]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a ride

[@johnmoore5604]

Absolute pleasure to watch and what beautiful scenery. Where is it and what is the airport. I have the B-25 on my MS Simulator and would like to try making a similar flight.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

CYYF - Penticton in British Columbia, Canada

[@shinethelight01]

Wow! Low altitude strafing run! I was like, "look out for that mountain!"

[@marshallallensmith]

I can only imagine what it was like to be on the wrong end of a strafing run by one of these and it must have been about as crazy as the 25's namesake ;)

[@archangel5723]

That was fucking awesome , hope i get the pilot license to fly whenever i want

[@bigbang7897]

Real flying old school.

[@stjohn2455]

Great video, excelent flying and admirable pilot skils, :-)

[@theflightsimboy4310]

Wow absolutely amazing!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thanks

[@terryofford4977]

Wonderful aircraft,great crew, the sounds and photography all perfect. The narrowness of the cockpit must have been a problem, on active service, imagine being hit and having to )Try) bailing out? They certainly showed great courage those days.

[@JorgeAraujo97]

Those sounds... oh, man. What a plane.

[@bluemarshall6180]

Boys by Heart. 😀😇😀😇 For the Love of Flying. Great Flying Sirs.

[@tellmesomething2go]

Piece of cake! Awesome dudes.

[@sabeillard]

great video! congrats from Portugal!

[@Hawkeye6936]

She loved that wind beneath her wings.

[@arboristo4407]

Awesome ride gentlemen 👍😃

[@RTD1947]

Very nice video!!!

[@Bbendfender]

Loudest plane I've ever been up in. Lots of fun though.

[@callotfab8742]

Thanks for this beautiful Travel...really !!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Thanks!

[@aaaht3810]

Nice video. Love the sound of those engines. How is the B-25 steered on the ground?

[@VMCAviationVideos]

👍

[@OneTequilaTwoTequila]

If the guy in the right seat is going to keep his hand on the prop levers for the whole climb out, he could at least synch the props. LOL!

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Haha 👍

[@pauljames5914]

He flies that like he's flying a fighter. He's a daredevil indeed.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

👍

[@135679av]

Great video ever, i like the old pilot at lefthandside.

[@ronschreck]

So do I.

[@xgtiguy]

It sounded better than collings " tondelayo " in which I flew on in June 2018 down the Oregon coast. Pop pop bang bang. it was on the ramp the next morning broke down sadly. A year later we lost b17 nine 0 nine.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

That Nine-O-Nine accident was tragic 😕

[@waterheaterservices]

Pure awesomeness, wonderful!

[@jmw9904]

I've taken a ride on this. despite having headphones, it was still the noisiest airplane you'll ever fly on. Also, because of how close the engines were, you could tell which side the pilots flew on by which ear they had hearing loss in.

[@norwamoom]

My dad O.W. Moomaw flew 49 combat missions as a waste gunner before being shot down. He was able to parasite to the ground but was captured and sent to prison camp.

[@susanelder9890]

My father was also a tail gunner on a B25 in 1941 with the AVG in China. He was also shot down, but was rescued by a jungle family who his him from the Japanese. I understand that the life expectancy of a tail gunner was approx. 5 weeks!

[@simonbertioli4696]

Lucky bastards😂 what an experience...l am jealous

[@tombrown6628]

It would really be interesting to hear from the pilots what they are doing, looking for, checking etc. They are obviously doing an awful lot to get the plane off the ground safely .

[@rubentrevino6288]

Beautiful plane

[@TexasEngineer]

Wow, yessssss. At the end I was waiting for them to back the plane up into its parking space. My father flew B25s in WW II. He was a B25 flight instructor in San Antonio and then went to the 12th Air Force on Corsica in the Mediterranean. He flew 25 combat missions. Maybe you have seen the movie about his outfit, “Catch 22”. My father told me how he could backup a B25 by crab walking it backwards. He would power one engine and hold one break.and the offset would torque the otherside bakwards. Then repeat with the other engine. Sometimes war stories are true, sometimes not so much. I just wanted know if the story is true.

[@VMCAviationVideos]

Nice story

[@stalag14]

Excellent video.

[@do8717]

Fantastic!

[@billfarnham1592]

Love the B25, and loved the video. Honest question: Are the throttles really so jumpy or iffy that it takes multiple sets of hands to hold them?

[@JohnTaylor-zf3ms]

No. not "jumpy" at all. For the co-pilot to "guard" the throttles was standard procedure at that time, and probably still is on all multi-eng recips. Many accidents have occurred because of unguarded throttles creeping back on takeoff. BTW..... I have almost a 1,000 hrs in the B-25; loved every minute of it!

[@billfarnham1592]

I, too, would love all the hours in a B24 I could get! I understand SOP. I was just asking if the throttles were unreliable when you set them. Apparently the answer is yes. Why do they creep back on takeoff but not on cruise?

[@johncriswell1106]

Holding full throttles on takeoff is critical to liftoff and directional control. In level flight at cruise speed slight creep is not a major factor because yaw is not significant.

[@MrFilmtech]

WOW. Thank you very much for sharing that. Got goosebumps, it's my favourite plane.

[@barrysheridan9186]

Thanks for posting. Dreamy flying. I often wonder is WW2 flight crew end up partially deaf sitting so close to the engines.

[@stefanfroschen3235]

Very nice!

[@Ford_Raptor_R_720hp_V8]

*Boy that's a tight Cockpit.*

[@willemlodeizen8244]

Escape for Mankind is Keith Johnson

[@chuckles470s9]

I imagined that it would be bigger and more protected . Wow

[@billfarnham1592]

B25s are beautiful airplanes. But the cockpit is definitely intimate. Shoulder to shoulder.