BLACKIE
03-20-2004, 03:46 PM
Yesterday I posted the following in a thread pertaining to prop slippage. Since there seems to be some interest I thought I would create a thread in the approporate area.
Yes, it is fun to fly the bird. Here's a picture taken last Fall at Monroe/Custer Airport in Southeast Michigan. The plane is based at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti, MI. It's the only flying "D" model in the world. It's very similar to the "B" model that the "Doolittle Raiders" used in the famous raid on Japan in 1942. This plane just completed a total restoration that took almost 5 years. We will be flying it regularly this summer at airshows, flyins, & flex rides. Yes a flex ride, you will be able to ride in it on Thursday evenings for a trip around the Detroit metropolitan area (approx 40 minutes). This will cost approx. $375 per person. I will be flying on most of those flights. We don't have the final schedule yet but I will post it here if anyone is interested when it's finalized. If you guys want more info, let me know.
The B-25 currently can carry 10 persons, 4 must be crew so that leaves 6 seats for passengers. We are trying to get the FAA to allow 12 persons aboard. Don't know when that will happen. The best seat (besides pilot & co-pilot) is the nose (Incredible view). In my tentative copy of the flight schedule flying is to begin on the Memorial Day weekend. Flights will consist of parade flybys in various cities and the Yankee AF (YAF) Open House on May 31. After that it will probably be every Thursday evening (if we have paying passengers) and on weekends at various air shows & fly ins around the mid-west. If several board members wanted to go on a flex ride together I’m sure I could fix it so they all could ride together and I would be one of the pilots. I will know more when they firm up the flight schedule. If anyone is interested in riding let me know and I will post some available dates as soon as I can.
The YAF has a really neat museum and several other flyable aircraft at their location at Willow Run Airport. Currently flying are a B-17, B-25, C-47(DC-3), and a Stinson Reliant. They have a web site www.yankeeairmuseum.org that explains it all.
Here’s some more pictures from last fall’s flying. In all the pictures I'm flying co-pilot, right front seat. Unfortunately you cannot see me very well. I used to fly another B-25 and I have a lot of pictures from that one including videos but all the photos are on paper. They were taken before I obtained a digital camera. When the flying season starts in a few weeks I will start taking some more pictures. I will look for some more interesting aviation shots and post them here.
If anyone has any questions about a B-25 feel free to ask.
Some interesting facts about a B-25:
67’ wingspan
53’ in length
15.5’ tall at the tail
Weight as we fly it is approx. 28,000 pounds
Engines are Wright 14 cylinder 2600-35’s, (2600 Cubic Inches), They have two stages superchargers fed by a huge holly carburetor and will pull 44 inches of manifold pressure for take-off & war emergency power. Each engine develops 1,700 horsepower for a total of 3,400 HP for take-off.
The plane will fly itself off the ground at approx 110 MPH and will climb at 1,500 feet per minute.
It carries 986 gallons of 100-octane aviation fuel and 37.5 gallons of oil per engine. It burns 175 gallons of fuel (at $2.70 per gal) per hour at takeoff power and approx 40 – 50 gallons per hour at cruise power (27 inches & 1,950 RPM). It will also burn approx. 1 – 2 gallons of oil per hour too. Actual flight costs including consumables, maintenance, & insurance works out to approx. $1,200 per hour of operation.
I welcome your comments. I am a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and I have some interesting experiences I can tell about.
Yes, it is fun to fly the bird. Here's a picture taken last Fall at Monroe/Custer Airport in Southeast Michigan. The plane is based at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti, MI. It's the only flying "D" model in the world. It's very similar to the "B" model that the "Doolittle Raiders" used in the famous raid on Japan in 1942. This plane just completed a total restoration that took almost 5 years. We will be flying it regularly this summer at airshows, flyins, & flex rides. Yes a flex ride, you will be able to ride in it on Thursday evenings for a trip around the Detroit metropolitan area (approx 40 minutes). This will cost approx. $375 per person. I will be flying on most of those flights. We don't have the final schedule yet but I will post it here if anyone is interested when it's finalized. If you guys want more info, let me know.
The B-25 currently can carry 10 persons, 4 must be crew so that leaves 6 seats for passengers. We are trying to get the FAA to allow 12 persons aboard. Don't know when that will happen. The best seat (besides pilot & co-pilot) is the nose (Incredible view). In my tentative copy of the flight schedule flying is to begin on the Memorial Day weekend. Flights will consist of parade flybys in various cities and the Yankee AF (YAF) Open House on May 31. After that it will probably be every Thursday evening (if we have paying passengers) and on weekends at various air shows & fly ins around the mid-west. If several board members wanted to go on a flex ride together I’m sure I could fix it so they all could ride together and I would be one of the pilots. I will know more when they firm up the flight schedule. If anyone is interested in riding let me know and I will post some available dates as soon as I can.
The YAF has a really neat museum and several other flyable aircraft at their location at Willow Run Airport. Currently flying are a B-17, B-25, C-47(DC-3), and a Stinson Reliant. They have a web site www.yankeeairmuseum.org that explains it all.
Here’s some more pictures from last fall’s flying. In all the pictures I'm flying co-pilot, right front seat. Unfortunately you cannot see me very well. I used to fly another B-25 and I have a lot of pictures from that one including videos but all the photos are on paper. They were taken before I obtained a digital camera. When the flying season starts in a few weeks I will start taking some more pictures. I will look for some more interesting aviation shots and post them here.
If anyone has any questions about a B-25 feel free to ask.
Some interesting facts about a B-25:
67’ wingspan
53’ in length
15.5’ tall at the tail
Weight as we fly it is approx. 28,000 pounds
Engines are Wright 14 cylinder 2600-35’s, (2600 Cubic Inches), They have two stages superchargers fed by a huge holly carburetor and will pull 44 inches of manifold pressure for take-off & war emergency power. Each engine develops 1,700 horsepower for a total of 3,400 HP for take-off.
The plane will fly itself off the ground at approx 110 MPH and will climb at 1,500 feet per minute.
It carries 986 gallons of 100-octane aviation fuel and 37.5 gallons of oil per engine. It burns 175 gallons of fuel (at $2.70 per gal) per hour at takeoff power and approx 40 – 50 gallons per hour at cruise power (27 inches & 1,950 RPM). It will also burn approx. 1 – 2 gallons of oil per hour too. Actual flight costs including consumables, maintenance, & insurance works out to approx. $1,200 per hour of operation.
I welcome your comments. I am a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and I have some interesting experiences I can tell about.