B-24 Liberator warmup & TakeOff
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The Last touring B-24 Liberator Bomber Departs Broomfield,CO for Salina, Kansas on the WINGS OF FREEDOM TOUR 2012 for more information please see www.collingsfou...
The Collings Foundation's B-24J is the only restored flying B-24J in the world. Initially, restored it in 1989, honored the 15th A.F. in Italy with the selection of the ALL AMERICAN-a very distinguished A/C with a record of having shot down 14 enemy fighters on a single mission (only two B-24's came back out of a squadron of 19). Then we selected the DRAGON & HIS TAIL, probably WWII's most extensive nose art, to honor and represent the WWII veterans who served in the Pacific. Now, it's time to honor the 8th Air Force and all who served in England and in the ETO. We have selected "WITCHCRAFT", a B-24 assigned to the 467BG, 790BS that compiled an amazing record of 130 combat missions. WITCHCRAFT is an olive drab aircraft, with red and white nose bowls, red and white rudders, 130 bomb markings and a cartoonish witch flying a machine gun as nose art. All the names of our Dedicated Crew, Lead Crew, Plane Sponsors and DFC Members will be proudly displayed on the co-pilot's side of the aircraft. Honor Crew and aircraft names will continue to be on the bomb bay doors. We're very pleased that we have been able to keep this B-24J flying and look forward to continuing to honor our American Veterans. America's only flying B-24J continues soaring through its native skies as part of the annual Wings of Freedom Tour with its sister ship, the B-17 Flying Fortress. A product of a multi-million dollar restoration, the B-24 stands testiment to the strength of the 1940's engineering that built it and helped it survive through many years of hardship. You should try to get out and see the flying history but if you cant Please try to enjoy this takeoff & Thanks For watching If You Like this stuff a ThumbsUP comment or Subscribe & We Will Look for More cool Stuff
In a hurry ? The highlights are the 5 min of the mechanical music to me but,
1:45 crank Up the final 2 props then 5 min of Mechanical Music, or advance to
6:30 Taxi Out & Wave Goodbye or
8:57 Take Off Roll with their P-51 and Denver in the Background
To help save where these were made please see www.savethebomb...
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My grandfather was a B-24 pilot in the ETO. Assigned to the 44th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force out of RAF Shipdham, he severely defied the odds by completing more than 50 combat missions, initially as co-pilot, and later as pilot-in-command. He flew missions over Sicily, mainland Italy, Normandy, and Germany, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals. He went on to live a full life and passed away at age 91 in 2013. While I miss him greatly, it always makes me happy to know that he got to go up in the Liberator - aboard Witchcraft - one final time a couple of years before he passed. Lt. Col. Thomas Drysdale, you are my hero, and every time I look to a plane in the sky, I think of you.
Truly a man from the greatest generation
I live close to Shipdam and very close to Wendling another B24 Base where these great men gave so much. The B17 gets the kisses but the B24 did the work.
My father had just the opposite experience, hit by flak on just his second mission. Their base was out if horshsm st faith. Spent 11 months on stalag luft 4 with thousands of other airmen.
May God have Blessed your granddad.
The sound of these engines is among the greatest sounds I’ve ever heard.
My Dad's cousin was a 2nd Lt and pilot of Black Item, shot down over the railroad stockyards of Heligstadt, Austria. I spoke to the tail gunner (only one who survived). Thank you for popping this video up there. It is amazing what the Allied Forces did during WWII. Love to see the vertical stabilizers!
My father was a B-24 Pilot (Captain) 33 missions, crash landed in occupied France, rescued by French underground, rushed across enemy lines on captured German motorcycles, back in the air 2 weeks later. Tough act to follow.
to all of the men who flew in these beautiful planes during wartime we thank you for your service and to the ones that didn't make it home we thank you for your sacrifice.
a lovely comment.
💖 🇺🇸 💙
@@davidmarshall1259 AMEN 💖
men.....? Those were mainly boys average 19 years old!
You also forgot to offer condolences to the families of innocent German civilians who had their bodies destroyed by the shock wave of the explosions of the 578,000 bombs dumped by these B24 Liberator bombers on German soil😞
My grandad flew in a B24J named "The cocktail hour" from 1942-1945 in the South Pacific! It's defiantly something to be proud of!
Cody Maranto Excellent to hear! This was actually my Grandfather's plane ( He was its mechanic and last living member of the crew until his death three years ago) so im glad to still see it fly despite it isn't the original.
Respects for the service your grandfather's offered. It's something for admire. A big Honor for the service they offered to the nation.
Regards for both.
My Grandfather was a tail-gunner on a B24, and died on a bombing run practice crash in the Idaho desert. The site was just discovered and they found my grandmother's class ring. God bless all who served.
Amazing! !!! Please tell me your family has the ring back????
Dave Thompson We do. They returned the ring and a small piece of the plane. Here is a link to an earlier article of the discovery. hamptonroads.com/2014/05/ww-iiera-plane-crash-site-rediscovered-idaho
I'm so happy for your family, God bless.
Heroes one and all.
God Bless, sorry for your family's loss. Very glad the ring was returned, may it be an heirloom of your house forever.
This plane and a few other WW2 planes came to our small town fly-in. The planes were open to the public for close inspection. It gave me a new sense for the courage and sacrifice these crewmen had in defending their country. Thankfully this history as been preserved.
It gives me chills. Several years ago I got to see this plane while it was in Aurora, Oregon. I want to thank the pilot who spoke with me for quite some time while allowing me to be in the part of the plane where my father (engineer and top turret gunner with 448th BG in Seething, England and KIA 24Mar1945 during Operation Varsity) would have been during a mission. He told me all the duties he would have been performing. I so appreciated it.
Elaine Cummings z2
MY DAD WAS A B 24 PILOT IN WW 2 AND DIDN'T LOSE A CREW MEMBER. MISS YOU DAD. GOD BLESS
Dave Sherman wow the and his crew were lucky then
That is so wonderful that you Dad did not loose a man. A lot of us due our best to keep a crew, safe, alive, unharmed. Some of it is luck, some skill, but in the end, a loss is a great burden. I have had some close shaves with my crews. At times they seemed bent on their own self-destruction. Which is why I felt I was there, looking over their actions, teaching, interrupting bad practices. Once in a while a great test comes. I had ten seconds to prevent a large Alaska fishing boat from rolling over. I was in the right place, knew by instinct what to do, and took the right action. We lived. My Captain was functionally useless at that moment, and did thank me, but I quit and moved on after that to a better situation, but there are always new tests. I think a lot of the satisfaction from being in dangerous work like, war, commercial fishing, is being there to make the right decision and take the right action. And, of course, being lucky, as it is a numbers game like most things are. I got out after ten years, the numbers were catching up. I plan to die old, in my easy chair with a glass of single malt.
Dave Sherman my dad was a fireman on hmas vengeance he never fought.but both him and i love planes .he was close too sea furys . and pop spent four years in borneo on anti aircraft. me well im gratefull and thankfull for pop he was 54 he didnt have too go but they let him. andrews was his name. anti aircraft .bofors.
thank your dad for his service
@@billysmith5721 ty
My late father served with a B-24 Liberator outfit in the 15th AF in Italy 1944-45 and trained with actor Jimmy Stewart before they both went overseas - Stewart served as a Squadron Commander with the 8th AF in England. I wish they had stayed in touch after the war.
It is very emotional for me to see this airplane knowing my Dad faced death each and every time he boarded his airplane.
My late mother said he suffered from nightmares and cold sweats for many months after he returned stateside after the war.
She said he had lost his very crazy sense of humor and had a very short fuse and bad temper (which I seemed to have inherited from him). Obviously he had PTSD that was never formally diagnosed.
He never spoke much about his wartime experiences and years after he passed I researched his unit and what he did. I quickly learned why he didn't talk about His experiences and what he saw.
His unit lost more than 50% of its original air crew in combat and suffered some of the heaviest casualties in theater.
He was regularly escorted on missions by the Tuskegee Airmen who were stationed about 60 miles down the road and flew bombing missions over some of the most heavily defended strategic targets of Nazi Germany - including many against the Ploesti oil refineries in Rumania.
My Dad received two (2) Purple Hearts and his unit received two (2) Presidential unit citations for their contribution in WW2. Obviously I am VERY proud of him.
I miss you and love you Dad.
I look forward to seeing you and Mom again and spending eternity with you both.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful video.
What a testimony. Thank you.
Flying from Foggia, with the 15th AF, in 1944, having the Tuskegee 51's just up the road, flying top cover, was a real blessing and allowed countless 17's and 24's to return mostly in one piece.
A little discipline at a level that was called for when you were growing up is what you probably never had. You didn't inherit his bad behavior, your were allowed to develop it. Go find a bar where men that work at hard labor frequent. This short temper of yours that you proudly refer to will soon be reeled in.
@@olderthanyoucali8512 Huh? Your reply went to the wrong person. I have the greatest respect for all vets, esp WW2 aviators, some of whom I have known.
@@babysaver98 agreed.
What a lovely piece of history. Absolutely fantastic!
I love this video of the B-24 warmup and takeoff. My mom, Mattie McDonald and dad, Buss McDonald build B-24 bombers during World War ii the the Consolidated Value Tee Aircraft plant in Ft. Worth, Texas. My mom was one of the women known as "Rosie the Riveters" who worked on the wing and my dad worked on the nose construction of the plane on the assembly line. Several years ago, she and my dad came to visit us and I took her to Ft Worth where they had a plane that she helped built and she recalled telling me they put in a double row of rivets on the underside of the wing to make me more stable to fly. She is gone now and resting in peace with our Lord.
My uncle George was a navigator on one of these. His ship was shot down on a mission over Munster on November 5, 1943. He is buried in the Ardennes Cemetery near Liege. The ship was found a few years in 10 meters of water off an island off the Dutch coast.
JPAC dove on the wreckage but couldn't find any remains of the missing pilot, Wally D'Aoust, or bombadier, Mart Etheridge. I believe its classified as a war grave now. 4 of the gunners survived and became POW's.
rjwinz So sad. The B24 just wasn't as durable as the B17 and often fell apart from damage that the B17 would fly all the way back to England with. I've heard it said that the B24 did everything better than the B17...except FLY.
ReptileRescue
Heard the same thing, the big difference was system redundancy of the Fort, the Lib was an economy build, that's how they were able to pump out 1 an hour at Willow Run. The Fort could take more punishment and still bring crews back home, this does not diminish the Liberator, it's just the economics of war is all.
My Great-Grandfather helped build the B-24s, though he never flew one. He was considered 4F, or unfit for service due to having had a ruptured appendix as a kid. That being said. he once told me how he was what they called a 'loftsman.' He drew the wings of the B-24s with a pencil on graphing paper, and however he drew the wing was how the machine would cut the wing, so he had to be very precise, which was especially tricky since miniaturization wasn't a thing back then, which meant that he was drawing the wing full-size. Anyhow, he's gone now, but I'm glad I got the chance to know him before he passed at the age of 98.
Impressive
My uncle Julius was a pilot on the B-24 and flew 35 missions. He was qualified B-17 pilot and never got to fly one. He didn't like that too much! I told him the B-24 is awesome and it got him through the war. RIP, Julius and thanks for your service in WWII!
I have read that WWII bomber pilots preferred the B-17 to the B-24 because the B-24 was hard to fly. Took a lot of energy to work the controls. But remember, the B-24 outnumbered the B-17 in bomb runs, so without this plane who knows what would have happened. A great plane to be proud of and thankful to all that flew them, especially those that did not come back.
And thank you to your Uncle Julius. 35 missions is quite a feat.
My Dad flew in this plane..... in Carlisle, PA. The pilot approached us a few years later when he saw my Dad in FL at Grills in Melbourne. These were GREAT MEN from a GREAT GENERATION. I'll miss him forever. My Dad, My Hero.
SOOOooo ... I took my friend (WAR Wounded Veteran from Vietnam) to the PIMA Air Museum near Tuscon, AZ. If you ever get the chance ... do it. While in an indoor section, there was a display of an active B24. After kicking the tires and rubbing our noses on the plexiglass, we noted that the bombay doors were open. Taking the risk ... we ducked under the bombay doors while still on the floor and examining the bomb racks. Then I heard the bone-chilling "AHEM". We were busted. Instead of the curator getting pissed, he ducked under with us and explained that he was a crewman on a Liberator during WWII. He let me walk the 12" walkway and go anywhere I wanted. Lots of discussion about his missions. At one point, and for no particular reason, I thumped the side of the fuselage with my finger. While I looked in surprise at the thumping report, he simply said "Yep ... the metal on the planes we flew were thinner metal than the beer cans we drank from". What a scary revelation.
Thank you for you comment !
For my 70th birthday my wife bought me a ride on the "Witchcraft" out of Long Beach. CA. It was wonderful! There were only 8 of us tourists aboard. (I think she paid 500 bucks for the 40 minute flight over the Pacific.) None of us were strapped in. We sat on the floor behind bulkheads or in the middle of the bomb bay. I sat near the rear gun position and after takeoff I made my way through the bomb bay and up to the cockpit area. I stood just behind the pilots -- there was no door -- and being an old commercial licensed pilot myself I really enjoyed scanning that old instrument panel. (Nowadays everything is "glass" -- computers and electronic instruments.) This was almost the exact panel I learned to fly in over 50 years ago. They never allowed the airspeed to exceed 140 knots, which is pretty darn slow for a four engine bomber. I didn't ask, but I assumed it was because there is no need for stressing the airframe on a bird that old. The takeoff and landing were smooth as silk -- it's flight I'll never forget. Not only is this the last flying Liberator, I was told it also saw action in World War ll -- that made it doubly special.
Those propellers are mesmerizing and hypnotic to say the least.
Beautiful Aircraft along with the Lancaster and Mosquito Bombers
The roar of those engines gives me goosebumps. To all the men who flew in them and sacrificed so much she is a wonderful living tribute. God bless them all.
When I was a kid, I put together a Revel model B-24 liberator. It wasn't the best job. I hung it from the ceiling in my room. I kept that model for a long time. I wish I still had it.
crosbonit, I built that model too! I also built the 1:48 scale Monogram B-24J. That’s a BIG model! 👍
My Dad was a B 24 Pilot in WW2, 15 th Air Force, 450th Bomb group, the "Cottontails. Flew 50 missions over Europe based in Italy. In 1996, he flew this Collings B24 when it came to his town in Punta Gorda, Fl. I still have video of it! What a thrill for him to get behind the controls again 50 years later when he was 77 years old! Lived to 88 years old! RIP Dad! We miss you!
Up load that video! For everyone to see
My Father, Thurston Doriety was a crew chief with the 450th stationed first in North Africa and later in Italy.
This aircraft flew over my house at low level (very low) a couple years ago. I heard it coming and didn't know for sure what it was other than a large multi engine radial powered aircraft, so I ran outside to see it come pounding over at about 800 ft. Wow! Bob, USAF (1968-72).
My dad flew the B-24 for the USN in the Pacific, Navy designation was the PB4Y1. They mostly attacked from very low level, skip-bombing ships and hitting Japanese bases and aircraft. Had some unbelievable stories and the commendations to back them up, he won 3 DFC's and 5 Air Medals and was the first bomber pilot to land on Iwo Jima after the battle started there. I recently got to fly on "Diamond Lil" which is the last one open for public flights since "Witchcraft" is currently grounded. Hopefully she will fly again, would love to ride on her!
My late partner Gail's dad flew B-24s in WW2---and a few years back when the airplane was on tour at Spokane, he volunteered to baby-sit her while the Collings Foundation's tour crew grabbed some lunch and got checked into their hotel. His eyes sparkled when he talked about being back in 'HIS airplane" after so many years...
theodore williams oh I'm sure he felt young again when he was near that plane.
I observed and Taking as a reference from inside the cabin, They always turn on the engine on the right inside, then the one on the right outside, thirdly the inside from the left and finally the outside from the left
This is how it should, these planes were not built to be stared in a museum, they were built roam the sky's. Sadly, vary few are still able to do this. Just amazing.
My father fought in a B-24 and flew in the low altitude bombing runs over Ploesti refineries. He passed away in January 2010.
2nd most heavily defended target the Nazi's had. Incredibly dangerous & especially in Lib's, he was lucky. Raids on Ploesti went on for a year or more, the Germans were quick at putting things back together.
My grandpa was a load master on a C47 sky train over Okinowia and those other islands in the pacific he supplied thousands of troops. He is the reason i want to serve in the USAF.
Though you can't see me, I was aboard Witchcraft during this takeoff. It was a perfect day for the flight with calm winds and clear skies. I started just forward of the waist guns on the port side of the aircraft. What an incredible experience.
George Theofanous Heh my favorite part of it was the nose it was just so cool to be in
That was where I ended up for the rest of the flight.
George Theofanous Nice I cant help but just become giddy with happiness whenever im there I just feel so happy, I think something may be wrong with me though XD
EDF Ranger It's easy to get broken in there.
Had the pleasure of flying in this airplane out of Cape May (NAS Wildwood) a few years ago. I'm in my 60s but was the only person who figured out how to get in the tail turret. Jumped straight out of the B-24 and onto their B-17 - great day! I'd flown over from the UK just for that experience and it was worth every penny.
my Grandad was a pilot for the b-24 for the RAAF and the comanding officer for the 21st squadron. and also helped plan the bombing in papa new guine he also got a medel from president trumen. later became an airline pilot and brought the first 707 to austraila. i have a picture of him next to his b-24 with his buddies. hes my number 1 inspiration for joining the airforce and becoming a pilot.
I salute you&your Grandad, those big radial engines are rare music to the ears for sure!
I was lucky to get to Ellington Field, Houston, April 2018, on the day the planes were leaving for their next show. I was thrilled to watch them warm up and see the take off and to my delight, they flew over where I was parked. I sat there until I couldn't see them anymore.. I had tears in my eyes knowing this was the type of plane my father, Edward Seaman, used to load with bombs with the 446th, 705th squadron.
Andrea M. Seaman Campbell.
flew on "909" when B-24 was called "All American". B-24 veterans on board who became POWs crying watching it fly alongside brought new meaning to the word sacrifice.
R.I.P. B-17G “Nine o Nine” and 7 people onboard :(
My late father was a crew chief on one. The route China, Burma, India. A remarkable man. I miss him terribly. The men and women of that era, a BIG THANK YOU.
My wonderful crew and I flew 40 Combat mission from Tarawa to Kwajalein and Guam On Angel face B24D and J. Jack howard
Thank you sir for your service.
Wow 40 combat missions! Incredible men. Thank you sir.
thank you sir for you and your crews service to America and the world. I am 78 can only remember these and the B-17s flying overhead, Nothing more patriotic than a formation of WW-2 Bombers..
This is beyond awesome !!! 👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
B24 "Mitchell" is my favorite RC model... a far cry from the real thing... I have a few recordings on my channel !!!
Came up with my fanciful rendition of Dolittles practice runs for Tokyo .... may I bother you for comments on my B24 flight-sim videos please ?
Thanks & God Bless !!! Thanks incredibly much for your service !!! We are indebted
@@liftingweights Mitchell is B-25. This one is Liberator.
What a jewel!
B-24, one of the most magnificent planes ever built!
Live long beautiful bird!
My grandfather was with the 466th BG, Attlebridge. We still have his sortie sheet; he flew 19 missions, very late in the war---so late that his last two were actually flown post-VE day. He told me about combat flying back then; the Germans were pretty well beaten, but they still kept putting up fighter resistance on his combat flights. He had 2 Liberators: One of the last twin-tailed models; I think it was a -K. He said that airplane flew great, but a B-17 came in without brakes one night and used his airplane as a stopping barrier. Then he got issued an -N model (I think). It was one of the late models that had the single tail. Those models adopted the single tail configuration of the B-24's follow-on aircraft, the B-32 Dominator.
Grew up in Westminster Colorado, which is right next to that airport. Went to an airshow an saw that same plane in person. God is it beautiful.
That’s an impressive sight. It always reminds me of my grandpa. He joined the army at 19, became a pilot at 20, and within his first year of service he was attached to the 449th bomb group and flew a B-24-H, the Nancy Jane #2, out of Grottaglie, Italy. He flew 8 combat missions and on the ninth he ran out of gas on the way back from a mission over Vienna and the plane was lost. He spent 2 years in the work camps before he was liberated. That experience stayed with him until his death in 2005, but he was proud of his service.
I was lucky to ride in the Witchcraft from Pueblo CO to Salina KS in 2013! Awesome experience!
Couple years back I rode on the plane from Sacramento to about 3 hour ride towards the coast round about way.. there were only 2 other people as passengers...I sat behind pilot on take off and landed........moved around the plane was a overwhelming experience real lucky...
I flew in Witchcraft from Moffat airfield in about 2007 or 2008
A real thrill... made me think about my uncle who was lost with his entire crew went they went down in their RAF Halifax bomber in ww2. Truly the greatest generation..
What I find Amazing is that Ford Motor Company changed the entire guts of the Willow Run Automotive plant in just a few months and would eventually be producing a brand new B-24 Liberator about every hour. Amazing aircraft. Outstanding and brave crews.
Around the same time, "Witchcraft" was on display at the Dayton General (Wright Bros) Airport. I toured it to get some good photos. I ended up helping a gentleman up the back ramp and it turned out he was a starboard waist gunner on a B24 in WW2. I shot some photos of him in/around the aircraft and e-mailed them to his son (who was with him). Worth the money I paid to meet a WW2 Vet. Coolest thing was that even at about 80 years years old, to walk through the craft, you had to use the gangway through the bomb bay. The gentleman never missed a step or grab location as he navigated past the belly turret. Amazing.
As a 12 year London evacuee from the V1 doodlebug in Blundeston, Suffolk, England I well remember the battered Liberators flying low over the village in the late afternoon on three engines, panels missing and missing tail fin parts coming back from bombing missions in Germany. It was very impressive and well imprinted in my memory. God bless all who served and thank you America!
God bless you and glad to see that you survived such a time, and I hope most of your family made it through as well. The greatest generation indeed!
My 4 great uncles all flew these aircraft in WW2 and returned home safely. My granddad was an AAF commander at Bay St Louis MIssissippi. God bless all that served on these planes.
Beautiful aircraft, flown in WW2 by amazing men. God bless them all.
I just saw this in the 2019 tour. Epic plane
I saw this plane in Texas about 3 months ago, beautiful airplane, got to look inside of it too.
Such a magnificent beast
Very cool. I have lived in Broomfield, CO. Dad flew on B-36s and B-52s way back when, though not in CO.
Thanks for posting, my late Father was an RAF engine fitter servicing Liberators in India during WW2, nice to see engines running up
Thank you for posting this. This plane looks ungainly on the ground but once airborne is a fine sight to see. My father was a radio operator/top turret gunner on a B-24 called Sassy Lassy for the 15 Air Force in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Southern France. He flew 16 missions during the war.
My cousin was the nose gunner in one of these aircraft. RAAF 24 Squadron 1945, he flew in 30 combat missions over Borneo. Still with us aged 94. Jack Perrote.
He has the highest praise and spoke glowingly for his pilot who got them home safely every time.
Sorry, I can't remember his name now.
Never get tired of watching this video, fabulous sound from those magnificent engines, and when she finally comes roaring down the runway around 8:39...oh, my heart! Have been watching SteamUP train videos for years, so happy the 844 is back on the rails, but would love some more vintage plane videos too. Thanks so much for your filming and sharing with everyone.
My grandfather was a nose gunner in a B24, 15th AF in Italy 1944. He loved flying---said he felt closer to God. I miss him.
My father flew in these and 25s in the pacific theater. Very cool, to see this.
What a great idea...let's walk up and have a close look at the engines just as the propellers are starting !
I've flown in formation with this aircraft when it was the Dragon; I was in their B-17 Nine O Nine. It was in 2000, out of Moffett Field. I understand they aren't allowed to fly in formation with passengers anymore, so I feel very fortunate.
My dad was member of B24 Liberator and B25 Mitchell crew working with communications and operate in Brazil about 1965 Brazillian Air Force. These planes was sold by USA to Brazil after ww2. I miss you so much, dad, Sergeant Damasio.
Thank you for the GREAT footage 👍
imagine the sound of a hundred of these at once...
+shekky imagine the sound of a thousand of them combined with Lancasters, flying over a German city, ouch
"ouch" is right!!!
That would be something very scary to hear for the poor ground units under these monsters..
Sounds like dead Nazis
I know these are B-24's, but if you'd like to hear dozens of B-25's take off in formation, watch the first few scenes in Catch-22. Watch from the very beginning for the first three minutes of a beautiful sunrise as the opening credits roll, after which you begin to hear a single engine turn over and then catch, and then another and another. At twelve and a half minutes in you see a formation of at least a dozen of them take off over the water. Gorgeous!
Indeed. I've had the privilege of seeing Witchcraft several times over the years at the Mercer County Airport in New Jersey. Once, as I was arriving at the airport, Witchcraft was taxiing having just landed and a crewman was sitting atop the aircraft having gotten up there via a hatch just ahead of the wing roots. Seeing this gave me a sense of scale of the very large B-24 Liberator.
Nice camera work at a crowded airfield. Good tripod tracking at long zoom range. Thanks for posting.
Beautiful. Thank you for an outstanding video
I am going up in this beast this evening for a flight around greenville, SC!! It has been my dream since I saw her in "2003" with the "Dragon and it's tail" paint scheme in bloomington, Indiana.
I'm sure my grandfather is smiling down on me.
Oh, the sound of those old radial engines. An airbase in Italy filled with hundreds of those machines roaring. The men in their dress pinks and greens, leather jackets and flightgear.
I knew one of those men -a navigator. That was HIS plane.
My 1st flight instructor flew B-24's in WWII. And I didn't take my 1st lesson till 2001.
My dad flew 35 combat missions over Europe in a B-24. Went on to spend time in SAC and then fly missions over Vietnam.
What a beautiful sight and sound!
My Dad was on one of these 24's back in 1944 on many missions. Dad, I don't know how you made it out alive. Thank-you. We miss you everyday Dad.
love all ww2 air craft shows just love em
Engines had a beautiful droning sound. Can you imagine hearing this by the hundreds flying raids over Europe and the Ploesti Oil Fields.
I got to fly in the witch craft and it was the coolest thing I've ever done
It was in the Florida keys when my brother and I flew in the Witchcraft. Truly amazing. The bravest men in the world went to war in those planes.
Thank you for the kind words.
I’ve seen and been on this plane in flight when it came to RDU. It was an amazing flight. I got to move around and everything. These people go all across the USA to airports and if you have the money you can get yourself a 20-25 minute flight. There was also a b-17 called the nine-0-nine, a p-51, and a B-25. The fight on the B-24 cost about $400.
You could pay about $2000-$3000 for a flight class on the P-51
i met one of the lead engineers who designed the b-24. rex schmidt. he was assigned to customize churchill's Commando and deliver it to him. i noticed coffee table books on historic aircraft in his home when we met. i commented that he must have an interest in aircraft. he grinned and said he should. he was a designer for 30 years. i flippantly asked; "anything i may know?" the PBY....ah, YEAH. the B-24?.....ah, YEAH. quite stunned i asked, anything else? "the B-36".....omg. he was in on all of those. then he got his photo album. him and FDR, Hap Arnold, Doolittle, LeMay , Truman, Churchill.....Ike..... omg. i don't know what ever came of that album but it has to be worth a fortune. an uncle of mine was a radio operator on a B-24. i told him he would have liked to meet the man responsible for that plane. he said, no. he wouldn't. sort of froze half to death in the open air at altitude . he got reassigned to work on the los alamos part of the manhattan project, and his squadron went on to europe and his plane was one of them lost with all hands. so he made it through the war.
Love to hear 100 of those passing over.
My great Uncle was a nose gunner in a Liberator during WW2. His Commanding officer was Jimmy Stewart. He was KIA.
My late father was the canadian 'calgary empire training school' trained kiwi second pilot of the Liberator involved in ferry flying between England and Norway just after the close of hostilities.
He never talked about this particular event although he was still flying right up until 1969 as a commercial pilot in his spare time.
The B-24 activity was entered in his pilot's logbook however, which we still retain . .
When in 1983 I had a position with the sufficient clearance in the NZ MoD I went in person to the personnel records archive building in Wellington where all military personnel serving since the Boer War were and are still retained in letter indexed cardboard folders with protective plastic inners containing a mix of original blue ink handwritten, typed, and micro-filmed records of each serviceman's initial medical inspection, the training records, the pay records, the commanding officers' reports and commendations, and finally the demobilizing documents.
I pulled out by my own hand the 1915 dated records of my late great great uncle who had died at Gallipoli and read in blue ink on browing paper what the local drafting MO had had to say about his eye-colour, height, weight, build, hair colour, physique, and state of health as the young farm hand that he was, arriving on horseback straight from his father's dairy farm milking shed . .
Also, I pulled out and the voluminous service records of my father's two elder brothers, one of whom was a Pacific arena RNZAF Squadron Leader flying Lockheed Venturas on bombing missions out of Bougainville against the japanese, for which he received the DSO (prior to the war he was a Union Airlines captain flying the early Lockheed Electra between NZ cities on scheduled flights) . . the other brother's file was even thicker as he remained active within the RNZAF territorial service for years after the war and continued to receive annual CO reports . .
When pulling the folder for my father I was therefore astonished to find it was empty ..save for one only discharging payslip from the canadians . . wtf ???
What was he doing after the war?
Every time I asked he would just say that he was the Airspeed Oxford guinea pig flying the first blind landings in full fog with no visibility using experimental ground based direction finding equipment ..hmm
beautiful machine love those radial engines
got to see this beautiful bird in montana and many more
Thanks for sharing interesting information and history.
My Step Mom worked at the Consolidated Plant at Carswell Army Air (Plant #4) as a Rosie the Riveter working on the tail section of the Liberator. This bird, I believe, was built at another factory. She later worked on the B-36 Peacemaker till she hung it up and went back to the Dairy Farm.
You can see the Consolidated Aircraft flying boat heritage in the shape of the B-24.
That's 'Witchcraft'!!! It visits us in Cape May County, NJ, on every labor day weekend. Seen it fly over my house, several times. Along with the B-17G, the '909'!!!
My Grandfather died after parachuting from the B-24 Liberator "Lady Be Good". April 5th 1943 in the Lybian Desert.
Listen to those R-1830,s growl . Thank you Pratt and Whitney.
This was my grandfather´s plane. We found his name on the side when it visited OKC.
A big honor for the service your grandfather offered, respects.
That's pretty cool
That's amazing! My grandfather was the top turret gunner in one of these. Flew 22 missions before being shipped back home with shrapnel in his back.
You can have Spiderman and Batman as hero's but to me, he is my hero.
You can hear the voices of the past from those engines.
this plane - sound and looking makes me trippin crazy feeling - one of the best planes ever built i mean
On Sept. 5, 2019, I was lucky enough to see "Witchcraft" as well as the ill-fated B-17G "909" at KTTN. I was able to crawl around inside of both aircraft and was stunned how tiny and tight they are. I can just imagine how difficult it was for the wartime crews to move around encumbered as they were by flack suits, helmets, parachute harnesses, electrical and oxygen lines and in the sub-zero temperatures, with enemy planes and AAA trying to kill them!! All the while, holding the tightest possible formation for mutual protection and bombing accuracy, in close proximity of hundreds of other planes. God Bless them all!
Finally met Witchcraft last year.What a lady!!
There are no real men anymore like the heroes that flew these awesome planes
Wow. From England, we were driving out of Los Angeles heading for Palm Springs some years ago and I saw a B24 in the air. Couldn't work out which one it was so maybe it was this one.
Will have top check out the date.
Thanks for the video
My 2nd cousin Jimmy was a pilot and flew B24 out of Italy 1944/1945 God Bless him and all the men of WW2 RIP🌹Jimmy
My grandmother's first cousin went down over Bremen, Germany with the Miss America, November 13, 1943.
I think thats the most smoke-cloud-free-est multiple radial engines start Ive ever seen.