How to Fly The B-25 Mitchell Bomber

[Hassin Bin Sober]

You never know when this will be needed.

You’re welcome.

[dflprincess]

1. My dad was the rear gunner on a Mitchell (Army Air Force)

He was an inch too short to be a pilot, which is what he had hoped for.

I didn't watch every minute of this, but thank you for posting it.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

2. My uncle was a gunner on B-17s over Germany.

I sure wish he was around to talk to as I got older.

We talked a little bit about it when I was a kid because I was in to all things airplane - especially the B-17.

But I sure do have a lot of questions now.

I never knew how much my uncle looked like me until I saw this.

He’s the good lookin one in the back row. Lol

[akraven]

3. We got to see/tour one in 2007 at

Eielson AFB near Fairbanks. I think it was the most impressive ship we saw. And then she flew!

[hunter]

4. Anyone recognize where that was filmed?

I'm fairly certain it's California. All those farms they're flying over may be urbanized now.

[Brother Buzz]

5. I'm certain it's California

Central Valley, and snow capped Sierra Nevada mountains were in some shots. I'm not sure where the air strip might have been, but it was arid, with a rugged mountain range in the distance, so I ruled out Inglewood, where the B-25's were made and initially test flown, and coincidentally right next door to the First Motion Picture Unit in Culver City where the film was produced.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Motion_Picture_Unit

[hunter]

6. Thanks for that link!

On further inspection I'm thinking San Bernardino Mountains in the winter.

I'm looking for answers here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_World_War_II_Army_Airfields

My grandfather was an Army Air Force officer in World War II. When he joined up, before the war started, I'm sure he was imagining himself the hero pilot who got all the girls, but the Army had other plans. After the war he went to work for a Southern California aerospace company and retired as an engineer for the Apollo project.

[Brother Buzz]

8. I looked at that California World War II Army Airfields site, too....

and a lot of fields fit the bill. But one in pictular stands out - George Air Force Base (Victorville AAF, Victorville AFB) - There was a LOT going on there during WWll, and it was a reasonable distance from Culver City



http://www.militarymuseum.org/GeorgeAFB.html

[Major Nikon]

7. The hardest part of flying an airplane is getting it started

[struggle4progress]

9. This might come in handy if war breaks out, and citizens need to bomb the Russian bunkers

near Palm Springs

[Hassin Bin Sober]

10. They'll likely hide out in the Pamona alfalfa fields