What it's like to fly a B-24 Liberator

[@doyle935]

During WWll my grandfather was a pilot of the B24 and pilot trainer. I remember as a boy living close to Wright Patterson AFB, my Grandfather would run outside like he was a little kid to see the planes flying over. When the airshow came to town we would sit outside and wait for the planes. The very first plane I ever sat in was the B24.Ironically the man that lived across the street from my grandfather was also a pilot of the B24. They never spoke to each other except the mailbox chatter. They lived across from each other for 40 years and neither one had a clue that they were both pilots. When my Grandfather died they put a big write up about him and all the planes he flew and the missions. That very day the man across the street came over and could barely speak holding the newspaper. His wife and my grandmother talked for hours and became friends after. Thanks for sharing this video! I truly wish my Grandfather was still alive, he would have loved this video. I stumbled across this looking at guitar stuff. Made my day and took me back to my childhood

[@davidmarshall1259]

they were a humble bunch of men. not braggarts or bigheads. the youth of today will never comprehend what exactly they owe to the youth of yesterday. fact.

[@OFallons]

Yes they are a very humble stoic and self determining men with a great sense of honor and a presence and disposition of that which is right! You seem to be most grateful of your knowledge of those who came before us and honoring those men being true to their memory.. May you be blessed from knowing them, for their quiet greatness, and their calm presence you beheld, have been great teaching to us all. Well almost all, sorry I have been in shock so much of late from those who have defiled our Great House of Representatives. Sorry to have brought it up.

[@badmonkey2222]

@@davidmarshall1259 FACTS. And the pussified soyboy generation of today world NEVER have the balls to did what those men do they would all run to Canada.

[@PAS_2020]

@@OFallons "Shock" is an understatement.

[@PAS_2020]

@@badmonkey2222 wrong. Give credit to our incredible young guys (And also now gals) who are flying off of carriers, low level flying in Star Wars Canyon, incredible gunship support of our troops in Afghanistan, incredible close support risks in the A10. Yes our soy boys are an absolute shame, but our heroes are also out there.

[@1755ma]

My Dad was a B24 pilot. 8th Air Force. He was stationed on the eastern coast of England at a place called Bungay. 446th heavy bomber squadron. He flew 35 missions in the summer and fall of 1944. Never lost a man or his plane. He was awarded a DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross) that he wore with proudly as an air force reservist after the war. They called their B24 "Desperate Desmond". He had alot of stories to tell. Like calling the fighter escorts "little friends" as they peeled off back to England as they ran low on fuel. Alone now, his bomber would continue on, deeper into enemy territory to places called Dresden, Berlin, Polesti, and the submarine pens at Kiel. One time they were over the target deep over Germany---black puffs of flax all around---and the bomb bay doors wouldn't open. They tried everything, but to no avail. He was carrying 2,000 pounders and he had to make a quick decision. Those babies had to go, so he dropped them right through the bomb bay doors. Bombs and doors ripped away. He laughed recalling the memory. It was a cold and windy the ride back home. They had accomplished their mission. He said his only "no bomb mission" was when he flew down the streets of Nijmegen, Holland at roof top dropping supplies in support of D-Day. Picture a line of B24s screaming down the narrow streets dropping care packages while SS men in their black uniforms fired their machine guns up at those crazy Americans. After the war he worked as an FAA air traffic controller. Lt. Col. WILLIAM D. ANDERSON. 1921-1995. Thanks Dad I'm proud of you.

[@iowaman07]

My father was in the 446TH bomb group too. B-24 pilot with 34 missions, The Purple Heart, and the Air Medal.

[@andypryke6061]

Nice, I’m just down the road from Bungay, fly overhead quite a lot when on training flights

[@GilbertdeClare0704]

Respect to your Father, sir. I live @6miles from your fathers old base, right near 446thBG's 20thCBW "sister", Group 448th BG base at Seething. All the 2nd AD bases have very well maintained Memorials to all who served, and especially all those who never got to return. They have never been forgotten by locals here. If you ever get to come and see your fathers old base at Bungay, there is a really good museum here with much to see. My Mum "dated" a Lt. Bombardier from 93rdBG at nearby Hardwick, and her best friend was engaged to a Navigator of the 93rd who never came back. His sister kept all of my Mum's friend's letters to him, and brought them with her when she came over in 2001 to give her. Those young men like your father have NEVER been forgotten.

[@bad74maverick1]

Respect to your grandfather for sure, sounds like he was a great man. Were all his missions in the B-24? A lot of crews got shuffled around to other planes sometimes, a lot of times due to a mechanical failure before a mission. The battle of Nijmegen was operation market garden not D-day so he was probably resupplying for that I assume. My grandfather flew in both 17's and 24's and at the end of the war several 29's and was used as a crew mechanic. He stayed a short time on the field with the Enola gay. He said after it came back and the fanfare had left it was placed near the end of the runway and you were only allowed so close for a few days. According to my grandfather personnel would check it over and take notes and maybe do what looked like a test a time or two. I'll never forget him saying that despite getting an all clear to move the plane The radio and radar sets in her would slowly walk off band and they would re-calibrate until so far off they had to be replaced. he said by the time she made it to Kwajalein for the Operation Crossroads tests in 1946, they had installed 14 radio and radar sets in it, and "she never worked right again for whatever reason".

[@mistervacation23]

The 9th Air Force was better

[@bigsamdog1]

First thought on seeing this video was, "Man, that pilot is young." Then I realized, that was how young the pilots were who actually flew these planes in WWII.

[@av8rshane491]

Yep, the greatest generation.

[@cswalker21]

Ha, yep. My grandpa was 19 the first time he set foot in an airplane and 20 when he flew his first combat mission in a Liberator.😅 When I was 20 I learned to cook Mac and cheese.

[@bigsamdog1]

​@@cswalker21 I know exactly what you mean.

[@AEKITER]

SAME!

[@gregc247]

Thing is im geussing he is about 30, so he is 7-10 years older than most of the guys who flew them

[@SkyCharter]

About a thousand hours in a Liberator in the 21st century. That's amazing.

[@ScullBayProductions]

Nice to see young people flying the B-24 now just like in the 1940s wow!

[@racko651]

Fly better than the old

[@danaschoen432]

This is how old the people were who flew thousands of deadly missions.

[@franz.isler799]

@@danaschoen432 Now all big organizations have to do is -- be politically correct, or face the modern inquisition.

[@craigtate5930]

I was surprised to see that as well. Very cool. Ready for my turn..lol

[@GhettoWagon]

Haha Never thought about that! good point!

[@daxtonbrown]

My dad was a B24 tailgunner out of Spinnazola airbase in Italy

[@garywheeler2055]

He was working the yoke pretty good on landing 👍. Well done video. Thanks

[@rg20322]

What a great teacher and mentor. Obviously, he had control, but this is such a great video and appreciate.

[@OrdenJust]

The crew of my Dad's (tailgunner) B-24 learned something no one ever knew before. They lost an engine on takeoff (training mission, plane not loaded with bombs). The pilot had to make a quick decision: do you try to hit the brakes and risk not stopping before the runway runs out, or do you gun the remaining engines and risk not having enough lift to get airborne? They learned it was possible for a B-24 to take off with just three engines.

[@remusarizona2178]

Re number of engines on B24, it was possible, though not fun, to land with just two engines both on the same side. Yikes!

[@bernielomaxsmustache7204]

I doubt your father was the first

[@lilorbielilorbie2496]

Orden Just Hence the term When In Doubt Gas It.

[@mothmagic1]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

[@eastcoast5936]

When I saw the photo, I was astonished that the "owner" would let his kids fly such a treasure...; ) Then, after watching the vid I realized that the next generation is awesome and doing incredibly cool things. Well done Captain, and what a thrill for the co-pilot. Aviation rocks !

[@billbegan4080]

My mom riveted the wings to the fuselage on the B24 at Willow RUN PLANT in Michigan. Seeing these always makes me smile. Got to go through one in Akron,Ohio back in the late 90's. Hard to believe how little room there was,built for bombs. 😁👍✌

[@Spartantex81]

My dad was a line supervisor.

[@davidkallewaard750]

YIP is where I started my flying career. The B-24 plant was making GMC automatic transmissions by then, but all the other B-24 hangers and facilities were still there.

[@j.d.peppmeier9041]

Great video !! My dad was a B-24 combat pilot and was shot down by AAA 88s 26 Aug 44 and became a guest of the Germans at Stalag Luft I. 77 years ago Alyssa could have been a WASP pilot flying B-24s - today she could be a combat pilot ! My dad loved the Liberator the rest of his life.

[@KevinLee-hu1lj]

small world... My dad's B-24 was shot down 13 August 44 just before reaching his target IP and arrived at Stalag Luft 1 on 13 Sept 44.

[@davidkallewaard750]

I realize this video is over 3 years old, but I have just now discovered it and not only watched the video, but even more interesting, read all the replies. Interesting to me because my father was a B-24 crewman, and I spent several years myself flying WWII vintage aircraft. The sad part, these aircraft will continue to be kept in the air, because they are engineering works of art, but we will lose all those folks who have a direct connection, whose fathers and uncles actually flew these aircraft in combat. Those stories and memories will be lost. Sometime back in the mid 1990's, I climbed aboard a C-46 at an air show in Houston. I flew the C-46 for two years in the 1970's. The gentleman who had flow the aircraft in for that air show had flown in WWII. We talked for over an hour, in the greenhouse cockpit, on a 98 degree Houston afternoon, sharing our memories of the aircraft. I would imagine that gentleman has long since passed. Not everyone can be a writer and publish their memoirs, or even want to. But the greatest generation will soon be gone, and I wonder if we will ever see their likes again.

[@cavalierx6099]

Cpt. Donald Redding (my Great Uncle) of Fort Wayne, Indiana flew B-24s in WW2. . . and while I didn't get to hear his stories about the war directly my Grandmother shared some. I am sure it was a terrifying and troubling existence performing such a technical task upon a sea of flack while watching men he know fall from the sky daily. God bless those Men and God Bless the people that keep this living history alive. Thank you for sharing.

[@MFJINFLA]

My Uncle, 1st Lt Albert F Boyhan was a B 24 L pilot. Uncle Red was KIA on Feb 7th 1945 after a successful mission in Austria. Uncle red is buried in the American cemetery in Ardennes Belgium...

[@Surfliner450]

I find it so awesome that in every one of this type of video people are remembering their fathers and grandfathers who were crew members on heavy bombers

[@gkprivate433]

my neighbor's dad was a navigator on B 24. Flew a lot of combat missions. One story they took some serious flak. A big piece blew through the side of the plane right in front of my friend's dad. he leaned forward and said to himself: "huh". A second later another large piece blew through the side of the fuselage right where he was sitting! What timing. Had he leaned one way or the other, gonzo. He also told about one mission they took heavy damage and one of the crew was shot pretty bad in the butt. They stuck his ass out the window to almost freeze him and stop the bleeding

[@tomservo5347]

Glad no Luftwaffe pilots saw the crewmember with his butt sticking out of the window and taking offense.

[@robpelick7460]

My uncle was a bomber pilot in WW2. 35 missions. He didn't talk much about it but he always loved watching planes taking off and landing when we visited airports together.

[@texasrex2557]

Nice job! My dad was a tail gunner in the B24 "Nobody's Baby" stationed at Attlebridge airfield England.

[@rancidpitts8243]

My Bestman's father Was a gunner on a B24. I remember him saying he was stationed in North Africa, but I do not remember where else. He use to talk about his friends who died on missions, their plans for after the War, the girl they were going to marry, and so forth. He thought he would not survive, so he claimed to have no plans, or girl friends. I think he never got over the Irony.

[@remusarizona2178]

My father piloted a B24 J consolidated out of Alice Springs, Au and then a base in New Guinea for 43 missions on the Philippians island shipping ports and lanes, about half were strikes, rest were reconn as they did not know the effectiveness of their strikes. Some possible trivia, it took them 60 minutes to reach altitude fully loaded, they aligned into formation behind a polka doted or checkered lead (not part of the mission). His longest mission was 15 hours. A couple of additional perhaps less well know items… the heavily praised Norden bombsight was much less accurate during actual strikes due to too many variables needing entry all at about the same time… I believe bombs were accurate to within about a 1000 ft radius.. apparently our spooks (I say this lovingly) wanted to keep attention directed away from other advantages we had for mission success (such as sheer number of planes sent). Similarly, the whole notion of eating a bunch of carrots for night vision was largely propaganda. Our guys did eat carrots, but these were linked to the whole psychology of believing in the advantage rather than the actual science. Sadly, about 1/3 of the heavies in my father’s group were lost… often with 9-10 aboard.

[@scottrichardson8158]

I knew a few people who were B-24 crew members in WWII. (I write "knew" as they are no longer with us). I found out a few things about that type of plane and when I met one of them (a senior engineer where I worked) I mentioned, when he mentioned about being a crew member on a B-24, that "he was braver than I thought!" Same thing Luke Skywalker said when Hans Solo mentioned he was the pilot of the Millennium Falcon. ;-)

[@ianbeale2527]

It was Princess Leia. "You came in that thing ? You're braver than I thought !"

[@Rufus6540]

My uncle was a navigator on a B-24 and, so the story went, he would chew lead pencils as a way to measure distance flown (i.e., so many pencils for so many miles flown). They had to navigate to a small island in the Pacific once and just about the time he was done chewing the number of pencils the pilot came over the intercom and said "Land in sight, good job Shane!" Now my uncle liked to tell stories to be sure but I still loved that one!

[@walteralter9061]

From what I've read, flying the Liberator in formation was nearly backbreaking and many young pilots ended up with knee problems working the pedals on the big twin rudders constantly

[@lawrencemarocco8197]

Supposedly, Jimmy Stewart said that flying the B-24 in formation was like wrestling a bear.

[@robertbradley5333]

I had an uncle and a guy that I worked with who were both top turret gunners on two different B-24s what stories they did tell were on the funny sides of a bomber life. Knowing what they faced in their live by the second

[@RandysFiftySevenChevy]

This is so encouraging to see people younger than me involved in this. Way to go guys!

[@jayuihlein1664]

My uncle Julius was a pilot of this plane and flew 35 missions. A qualified B-17 pilot he was surprised that he was assigned to the liberator after landing in Europe. He turned his lemons into lemonade and came home relatively unscathed (no milk runs). Great video. Thank you.

[@balazsboth5344]

My grandfather destroyed some Liberators above Sopron in 1944-45 with his ME-109. ( Mauser motorkanone and two 13 mm Rheinmetall MG.) The American turret gunners were very good in general. Rest in peace every heroes! //Sopron, Hungary//

[@robertwhitney2232]

My Dad was a sheet metal mechanic on the B24's in Italy, 456th bomb group heavy. 👍🛠

[@tonyrollman3991]

Gets me emotional watching these beautiful machines continue to educate

[@orbitingeyes2540]

Great to see the Liberator still flying. My father flew 30+ combat missions in these as Flight Engineer / Top Turret Gunner in the lead crew of Sq. 712, 448 BG.

[@dlanodonailuc8873]

Orbiting eyes. My dad was a bombardier on the b24 .he also flew 31 missions! The name of his plane was little Joe if I recall correctly.

[@davidmarshall1259]

well, he was a lucky man to have made it home. and from us all, a big thank you to him and all the crew of his airplane, wherever it ended up.

[@dindog22]

My dad was a top turret gunner in a B-24 as well. all I know is that he was in the 8th Air Force stationed in England and that he served near the end of the war. I don't know the name of his plane. the one story I heard was about the red cross packages they got before each mission. he said they contained a Hershey bar and some hard candy. he would eat the Hershey bar on the beginning of the mission and the hard candy at the end of the mission. his reasoning was that if he got shot down he didn't want to be cheated out of his chocolate bar. I guess I know where my love of chocolate came from

[@pushyred]

The look on your face was priceless! So happy that you had this opportunity.

[@TheGearhead222]

My Dad became both a pilot and a navigator in the RCAF, so they started training him to become an instructor. Then , the war ended. Dad was so bumbed, as he wanted to fly the Lanc! He still had enough training horror stories to tell that kept me happy on the ground!-John in Texas (USN-Desert Storm/Shield)

[@danieloscarmendez]

Wunder !!!!!!!!!!!!! It's very nice to see young pilots flying old planes, in place of old pilots !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@philgiglio7922]

Always heard it took a lot of muscle to fly, especially in formation. Watching him wrestle her through the final flair confirmed it

[@wareairaviationservicesllc4933]

So cool to see such young folks flying such a vintage bird! Awesome

[@SmittySmithsonite]

I got to see that very plane up close and personal at KORH during the Wings of Freedom tour. Got to shake the hand of a WWII pilot of that aircraft right in front of it, too. I'll never forget that day. Hearing that thing on the takeoff roll made my eyes well up, thinking of all of the Greatest Generation that are no longer with us. Congrats on your flight there, Alyssa! Nice work! 👍👍

[@davidmarshall1259]

that's such a nice comment.

[@roberthunt236]

my dad was a nose gunner in the Liberator...stationed in the Phillipines ready to invade Japan...then came "the bomb." he said the power of having a pair of fifty caliber machine guns in front of him coupled with seeing everything as nose gunners do was pretty amazing. the thought of invading Japan gave all his compatriots a queezy feeling. were it not for "the bomb" i just might not have had a father.

[@Doctorj63]

My dad was a tail gunner in the Lib stationed on Okinawa under the same circumstances. Glad they both made it. :)

[@maartenrijs3]

Amazing! My dad was a navigator on the B-24 stationed in Norwich, England--Ted's traveling circus the 93rd bomb group, 330 bomb squadron.

[@marcfleischmann9911]

My son and I saw Witchcraft and other WW2 aircraft two Summers ago on Martha’s Vineyard, sadly just before we lost the B 17 to an accident Wonderfully friendly crews celebrating living history

[@ronnichols884]

I always liked the B24, but I love the B17 and A20. My father was a waist gunner and gunnery instructor at Tyndall Field Florida during WW2. I saw a couple of A20s in Thailand.

[@bubbaclinton1105]

He counted 9 blades on start just like we did with the old C-118's! He REALLY had to jerk the control column on landing.

[@davidkallewaard750]

On the DC-6, the FE started the engines, but had no view outside. The pilots only job was to hang out the window and count blades. Favorite joke to pull on new FEs was to slap the side of the fuselage when they hit the ignition booster and primer. Sounded just like an engine backfire. Some guys were practically in tears. "What am I doing wrong?".

[@davetaylor8711]

That was fabulous video, my father was AAF command pilot and flew the 24.

[@jpturner171]

Thank you Melissa. My father flew a B-24 liberator in World War II. My mom was in the Women’s Air Corps and they met and married in Colorado Springs. He was shot down in 1943 and spent the remainder of the war in prison. I myself was in the Marine Corps for 37 years and so appreciate those brave souls from World War II that saved our world. While I personally understand the pain of recollecting war experiences, I so wish both my mom and dad were alive to enjoy your video and tribute🙏🏽. Semper Fi and God bless👍🏽🇺🇸

[@TimJohnsonBizNet3]

One of the members of my church in Santa Ana, CA in the late 90's and early 00's was a B24 pilot in the Pacific. Humble guy, deaf as a post, and a Medal of Honor recipient. His plane was shot down over a Japanese held island and he was able to ditch about a mile off shore - just out of range of the shore batteries. He kept his crew together floating out there until after dark. A PBY came looking for them and he put two tracer rounds from his .38 revolver side arm between the front and rear wings to let them know where they were. Just before dawn a submarine surfaced and rescued them. He never trusted the standard issue Colt .45 and illegally had tracer rounds in his revolver but it saved his crew.

[@matthewjones4658]

I got to fly in the Witchcraft. It's a fantastic experience.

[@alanmolox2095]

Gives me a greater appreciation for what Louis Z. and "Sand Blaster" went through during WWII in the Pacific, with "Superman". I cannot even comprehend the kind of men that fought for our country in those days, I'm humbled.

[@spreadeagled5654]

I have boarded and toured both of these magnificent aircraft at my local airport during the Collings Foundation cross-country tours. What a special treat! 👍👏🇺🇸

[@MrLemonbaby]

Very well done to all. Thanks for taking us along.

[@Deltabravo604]

I have had the pleasure of taking a ride in that plane, loved every second in the air. Great bird, thanks for sharing.

[@johnwaynes4417]

My grandpa was a waist gunner in the B-24 "Puddle Jumper", WWII. It crashed in the Pacific near Saipan killing most of the crew. He made it.

[@dalefinger5100]

My dad was a nose gunner on that same model 24 He also was on of the few who started training on the B32 Dominator that never made it to mass production when the B29 got the go ahead by the Air force

[@jerrypmoore6532]

From 1974-76 I was air service manager for US Forest Service at air tanker base in Tucson, AZ. First air tanker I worked with were PB4Y2s, the Navy version of B-24. These had single verticle stabilizers instead of two. They had also been repowered with 14 cylinder R-2600 engines rather than the 9 cylinder Wright Cyclone on the B-24 by the tanker contractor. All armaments had been removed, the bombay was filled with tanks holding 2,000 gallons of fire retardant used on wildfires. Was not allowed to fly on them, but got to taxi on one once. Watched many take off & landings, listened to many "war stories" , kept track of standby & flight hours. Sad day when one crashed on a fire one morning. Believe there are only 4 or 5 left in the world. PB stood for Patrol Bomber. Named Privateer, made by Consolidated.

[@jaxswat7061]

Wow that was awesome. Thanks for sharing this flight.

[@jondickinson1142]

What a great video and wonderful experience for you...at the beginning I could sense a little apprehension...at the end your smile was just magical with happiness...great video! 🙂

[@edmiller4149]

Ihave been in Witchcraft at air shows here in Illinois. My uncle, Edward Holum, flew twenty plus missions out of England and his name is on side of this plane. Thank you for sharing.

[@tomtugboat]

Very Cool ! We need more people like you to keep her flying !

[@charlescompton4495]

Looks like a lot of us had Dads that flew (my Dad pilot) or were on the crews of B-24 war planes. My Dad flew at night in the Pacific theater and finished as Captain. The last assignment was as Operations. Good to see a lot of us offspring can live to tell what we know. I grew up about a couple of hours from Dayton, Ohio and got to visit the aircraft museum more than once. My Mom's brother was a P-40 mechanic at the Panama Canal. Her other brother was an instructor. I'm a bricklayer! Greg

[@cblackjeep98]

I got to fly in this plane a few years ago. It's loud, it's rough, there isn't a soft surface in it! Also amazing, going to see it again tomorrow!

[@gkprivate433]

yeah. the air force made the seats intentionally uncomfortable so the pilots would not fall asleep during the long flights. Man, i get the logic but question the results. Better to be comfortable and then pop up to be alert when needed on an 8 hour flight or whatever they had to endure

[@cblackjeep98]

This plane was built before the airforce existed.

[@kylewood8327]

Good on you for being able to fly her! I’ve been on it twice, both experiences were fantastic. My dad was a top turret gunner with the 15th AAF flying out of Italy in 1944-45.

[@bartlett73]

My dad was a radio operator on a B24 the name of the plane was Corsica Kid. They were shot down over Hungary, they landed on a race track and no one was injured.They were MIA for a while but eventually made it back to friendly territory. The Russians confiscated the plane, got it running again, and used it themselves for a couple of years after the war.

[@johnschiiller4148]

My uncle was killed in 1943 in a B-24E Liberator that crashed in Utah on a training flight. RIP Uncle Bob

[@mikemercer8395]

Really cool my grandfather flew in the top turret he was the flight engineer I love seeing these old birds and could only image what my grandfather seen

[@wareairaviationservicesllc4933]

My great grandfather was a ball turret gunner on the B24 and B17

[@abbeyhall4624]

Amazing stuff, thank you for showing us this moment in time.

[@stevenlangdon-griffiths293]

An outstanding video in so many ways. Excellent dialogue and cinematography. I kept thinking while watching the pilots fly the aeroplane, that they have so much to do and keep an eye on, how on earth did they manage it during a bombing raid, with flak and fighters? God only knows. Thanks for this video and thanks to the bravest who liberated our country . God bless America

[@stephengamble9388]

By 1944 the number of hours flown by US pilots before combat was below 400. At a 1000 hours this pilot must be one of most experienced B24 pilots ever.

[@neilrobinson3085]

My friend, the late Jack Jarred, was a B-24 instructor for much of WW2 and logged over 5,000 hours in Liberators.

[@robertjessen1554]

Awesome. My Dad was a flight engineer and gunner in the 15th USAAF. 465th Bomb Grp. 780th Sqd. In 1995 I had an opportunity to fly this AC and it was a memorable experience. I had 10 of time signed off in my log book.

[@brentsummers7377]

Extremely interesting video. It's worth looking up the Wikipedia article on the cargo version of the aircraft - the C87. In the wiki article there are some quotes of what WWII pilot Ernest K Gann thought about the aircraft. Gann thought the engines and high cruise speed were great but that was where his praise ended!

[@virriki627]

good video, good co-pilot! my warmest congratulations! During WW2 my farther was a pilot of USA-made A-20 Boston twin-engine bomber in the USSR air forces. More than 50 missions...

[@Schaneification]

A friend of mine Father flew a B24 , He said they were bitches taking off with a full load , and you had to work on the lands in between they were a dream faster than a B19 and longer range .

[@richardmanca5402]

My father was in the 380th in the Philippines in 1945. This brought me to tears.

[@waynelooney381]

My great uncle was in the Philippines in the 5th air corps ... they were ran back to Australia before returning to take back the islands . My uncle was a flight engineer on b24 . Would like to find out more about him

[@spaced-mouse]

Such a neat video! Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@dalecarney6582]

i have seen where WWII pilots would say the B-24 was a much harder aircraft to fly than the B-17. Also they said the B-24 could not take nearly as much combat damage as the B-17.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

But the Air Force liked them because it could carry more bombs. The high lift wing could not tolerate much ice and its Davis aerofoil would stall earlier and more severely than the earlier B-17 which had a simpler and less demanding uncambered symmetrical aerofoil. The B-24 also could not be trimmed out properly to fly hands off. The Davis aerofoil really pushed the airflow too hard.

[@mikenorton632]

My uncle was a co-pilot in a C-47 in China flying cargo over the hump. When the war started he came back and joined the Army Air Corp. He was assigned to pilot a B-24. He said that it was the hardest plane he had ever flown. On his first long mission he said that when they returned he was so tired that he forgot that the plane had a nose wheel, that is until he tail gunner started screaming at him over the intercom! He was so startled he threw the controls forward and broke the nose wheel off! The second time he did it his commanding officer threatened him with court martial. My uncle completed his required missions and transferred to the IX Troop Carrier Command, 9th airforce. He dropped the 101st in Normandy and Holland, as well as other operations during and after the war including the Berlin airlift. He flew several other aircraft including the B52. He was a SAC Wing commander until he couldn't pass the eye exam. He was temporarily promoted to General and served as a military liaison to Panama until his retirement. He loved to fly! He also met my aunt during the war, she was a Wasp, and ferried planes from the US to England.

[@cowboybob7093]

Thanks for posting Mike. You and I are of the same generation. Video clips like this always include comments that lament the loss of first-hand accounts. Comments like yours weave together their stories. Just for continuity: My dad was a tail gunner in a B-17, one of the younger airmen who saw service late in the war. It's getting to the point where no combatant in WW-II will be under 100, so keep posting, your uncle and aunt's stories deserve to be shared.

[@jjs3287]

One of my favourite WW2 aircraft. Great to see young people flying them again.

[@ronaldtartaglia4459]

I still can't believe one of those rolled off the production line every 56 minutes at Willow Run

[@firemedic5100]

I have been inside that aircraft a few times with my grand kids. My life would be over if I actually got to fly it. Thanks for the ride.

[@marioacevedo5077]

Great video. For a history novel I did a lot of research into the B24 and it was a very complex flying machine.

[@paulrourke4785]

Great to see the Crew again that visited Us a few years ago now.

[@gabrielshear4298]

My dad’s favorite to fly .. He flew during WWII .. He flew everything .. Nice post ..

[@stonehobson2487]

Safety First. I like the guy in the center ready to correct any misstep she might make. He's observant and ready to leap in.

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

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

[@friedrichExplorer]

Wow👍Such A young aviator. He is like a pro... 👍Thank s for the video

[@edge1289]

Awesome! My father was a flight engineer on a Liberator, 453rd BG 732nd BS 2nd Air Division 8th AAF. Jimmy Stewart was a pilot in the 453rd.

[@reneeyoung9753]

My father was a radio operator with the 732nd BS, 453rd BG March-May 1945.

[@boblynch2802]

I have been inside that very aircraft. Such an amazing piece of history!

[@drott150]

That's kinda cool to have a younger guy pretty close to the age of the pilots who flew these birds into combat fly it instead of the old guys you always see.

[@russellnichols7156]

My dad was a copilot of A B24 the plane was the Naughty Nan he was 21 years old one of the oldest of the officer's and flew 35 missions over France, Germany, Belgium.

[@mikeedwards2621]

Holy crap…that was just flat out awesome !!!

[@ohyeahwhat5387]

I flew in that plane. When I was waiting to board, I looked over the names on the plane (donators) and scarily saw my Father's name. It wasn't him, RIP, but was eery seeing a contributor with the same name.

[@synthfreakify]

This makes me think of Mexican singer and actor Pedro Infante. He flew a cargo B-24 for fun in his spare time, I think his friend owned the airline- TAMSA? It killed him. In 1957 the plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Mérida after losing an engine, having the load shift, and climbing too steeply. Wiki says it was a converted B-24D but somewhere else I read it was a cargo B-24J.

[@Cetok01]

I had the privilege to fly on 'Witchcraft' almost 20 years ago. Even as a passenger, it was among the most exhilarating experiences of my life. They allowed us to move around the aircraft through the different stations once we were in the air. The coolest thing for me was to be able to hold my camera (firmly) outside the waist gun windows for real panorama filming, since there was no glass, just as in its wartime configuration.

[@GONZOFAM7]

Mental and physical workout. Very cool.

[@kzmaven7478]

Great job, love your enthusiasm...!

[@lloydphilbrick6907]

My Father was on a B 24 during the war, he liked the plane, proud of his service.

[@jstephenallington8431]

Very interesting. I'm happy and amazed to see someone less then half the age of the aircraft flying it. The pilot was really working the controls on that landing though Wow! And he was hard on the right rudder getting it down on the runway. I wonder why? I would have thought that a four engine aircraft wouldn't have such big problems with yaw.

[@davidkallewaard750]

No indication of what crosswind they had. Takes a lot of cross control with a stiff crosswind, even with a tricycle gear.

[@eiserntorsphantomoftheoper2154]

I rode on "Witchcraft" in 2012 at Melbourne Florida. I was sitting behind the first bulkhead, directly behind the pilot. The next bulkhead had four large graduated glass vials mounted vertically, visible from the copilot, upon looking rearward. They were each about 1/4 full of a dark reddish liquid. Any guesses what purpose they served ?

[@u2mister17]

My guess...engine oil. Those radials could burn 60 gals. of oil each per flight.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

Hydraulic fluid is purple.

[@eiserntorsphantomoftheoper2154]

They were fuel gauges. Hi octane Avgas.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

@@eiserntorsphantomoftheoper2154 Looked up the manual, there is a backup fuel delivery system which is not instrumented or metered but which has four (?) wide glass tubes on a forward bulkhead behind the pilots to demonstrate the fuel flow.

[@eiserntorsphantomoftheoper2154]

@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 That's it !

[@tcriti]

My Dad was a B-24 pilot in the 11th, Group H, 98th Bomb Squadron. After the war his plane was one of the few they didn’t destroy. When the war was over he received a receipt (that I still have) from the Quartermaster in San Francisco for, “1 war weary B-24”. She was called, “Ruff Knights”. What I wouldn’t give for a chance to just sit in the cockpit and imagine what he lived!

[@gregdrmax]

Glad he didn't pull the yoke out of the console. Gosh what a lot of jockeying around with elevators and rudders on landing! More than my RV9A! Awesome video

[@smokinmoq916]

pops was a tail gunner at the 467th in Rackheath.Nov 44-april 45.shot down over France and rescued by the French underground and back bombing very shortly.These were well trained men and needed to back in the action..Love it when the pilot said "But shes's a sweetheart".My dad had the same sentiment along with those who flew in her and survived the war.

[@vinloy23]

the B-24 sure is a unique aircraft. Very nice.