Official FlightLine RC 2000mm B-24D/J Liberator Thread

[RCjetdude]

Welcome to HobbySquawk and thank you for your service. If your plan/goal it to get it and wait until you have become proficient at flying by starting out on a trainer and maybe some flight sim time and working your way up you should be fine. Do you have a club near you that you could join and get some time with an instructor to help you learn? More often than not, rushing it leads to broken expensive planes and a frustrated pilot.

[Prowler901]

Welcome aboard shipmate! You've come to the right place. RCjetdude speaks wisely.

[Hardway]

Welcome and Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OV10]

Just joined the blog. I have wanted to get into RC airplanes for quite some time, but moving around in the USN for 27 years did not lend itself to it. Although I have never flown an RC airplane, I want to get into the hobby (I have modeled for years).

Welcome to Squawk ship mate rogbmw ,
I was out of the Navy for about 15 years when you started your career adventure.
Make your mark on the Military Branch Survey
Best regards,

[rogbmw]

Welcome to Squawk ship mate rogbmw ,
I was out of the Navy for about 15 years when you started your career adventure.
Make your mark on the Military Branch Survey
Best regards,

Thanks. I retired in 2004 after 27 years. Looking forward to learning. Orlando had a couple of good flying clubs. Still working 5 days a week though - one of these days I will need to "really" retire! What do you guys recommend as a good trainer. I have spoken to several reps at the various RC ordering site, and of course they all have their favorites.

[Boots Whirlygig]

Welcome rogbmw! Thank you for your service. I flew RC many years ago and am currently easing back in, flying the FMS Super EZ and Eflight Opterra to reacquaint myself. If you have never flown one take the advice and join a club, get and fly a simulator to get familiar with the controls. I am working my way back back up so I can fly my new F-16, A-4, P-40B and 2 Mitsubishi A6Ms, but that will be a while before I’ll be tackling those! God speed!

[OV10]

Thanks. I retired in 2004 after 27 years. Looking forward to learning. Orlando had a couple of good flying clubs. Still working 5 days a week though - one of these days I will need to "really" retire! What do you guys recommend as a good trainer. I have spoken to several reps at the various RC ordering site, and of course they all have their favorites.

My mistake on assuming that you just recently got out. You were just entering when I was getting out in 77.;)
There is a lot of trainer recommendations scattered throughout this forum.
Probably the number one recommended one would be the E-Flite Apprentice. :Cool:

[Clearblue]

She’s here! Looking forward to the grand opening. But my current disposition it’s going to be a little bit. In the middle of a major kitchen renovation. I tried to file a Stop Work order, But my Forman didn’t even crack a smile? Wives are funny that way!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Jim.

[dahawk]

At least your wife knows about it. I have intercept the UPS guy tomorrow as he’ll have both the Lib and the F105. Then shimmy the boxes out to the man cave(garage)

F105= one pair of shoes
Liberator= one pair of shoes and Coach purse


Hope I don’t get busted. Lol

Merry Christmas !

Hawk

[zorkahn]

My OD B-24 arrived! Using Callie Graphics and doing Witchcraft at 130 missions.

Mark

[dahawk]

Serendipitously, my Bunker 27 tee shirt arrived today. One day in advance of the B-24 delivery. I already had collected the hat at a CAF Airshow a couple of years ago. So, I'm ready !

[Callie Graphics]

Another set just added, B-24 Liberator #41-24105 'Tupelo Lass' 409th BS, 93rd BG, 8th AF.

Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya. Salvaged after crashing at Hardwick 11th Dec 43 on return from Emden.

I also just got in some more documentation for the B-24 nomenclature, so I should have a placement sheet ready by tomorrow!

[TiredIronGRB]

Here's the "D" nose with the graphic in place...not too bad if I do say so.

[Hardway]

Looks legit. to me!!!! Thanks TI for the hard work!!
I have my 21st Century pilots ready for the turrets and waist positions... Everyday low prices..... :Cool:

[Hardway]

My OD B-24 arrived! Using Callie Graphics and doing Witchcraft at 130 missions.

Mark

I see Darth Vader is guarding your 24..... Good choice!!! LOL Love Starwars here too!

[rifleman_btx]

You guys are really making me want one of these now too lol

[RRHandy]

I've gotta work 'til Friday. :Crying2:

Me too Steve ME TOO :Crying:

[Callie Graphics]

At long last, here is the B-24 Nomenclature placement sheet. If any one would like me to e-mail this to them, just drop me a line at info@callie-graphics.com

B-24 Nomenclature Placement Sheet.pdf

[dahawk]

Another set just added, B-24 Liberator #41-24105 'Tupelo Lass' 409th BS, 93rd BG, 8th AF.

Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya. Salvaged after crashing at Hardwick 11th Dec 43 on return from Emden.

I also just got in some more documentation for the B-24 nomenclature, so I should have a placement sheet ready by tomorrow!

Thanks Callie ! That would be mine.

I went with Tupelo Lass from the 93rd Bombardment Group , 409th Bomb Squadron, 8th Air Force. Had an awesome career. Many of the very early arrivals in 1942 were plain Jane's, lacking some of the fancy nose art that evolved throughout the war. The Brits actually flew them in combat before our guys even got there.

My Dad was a Tech Sarge in ground support mainly. Though he flew some missions as crew chief on occasion when needed. Equivalent of what an A&P would be today. Not 100% sure if he actually worked on the Tupelo Lass but seeing as she was in his squadron for his service duration, I'm sure he knew her nevertheless.

I've been inside the B-24 at Pima in Tucson. Hard to imagine what it must have been like with 10 guys on board. Pretty tight getting around.

The 93rd was known as "Ted's Traveling Circus" as they commuted between Hardwick and N. Africa several times. One of the early groups to arrive in April of 1942. Tupelo Lass survived operation Tidal Wave ( Ploesti) where on August 1 they took off from Benghazi and returned safely to Libya. This would be remembered as Black Sunday for the severe losses of that mission. Returning to Hardwick they continued raids on Germany, France and Holland until the end of the ETO operations. On December 11th, 1943, one day before his 22nd birthday, she crashed landed at Hardwick after returning from a bombing mission over Emben/ Danzig. A lot of crash landings there. IMC there most of the time and many came back on a wing and a prayer with barely survivable battle damage. Luckily she was salvaged.


It will be interesting to see how the likes of master modelers Tired Iron and RCjetdude capture the Bombay doors on this model. They were not the normal swing open clam shell type operating like gear doors rather they traveled up and down as part of the fuse. Kind of like the door of an old bread box moving on ways. The bomb racks held (4) 1,600 # bombs per side. A pretty big payload in those days. Add in the (11) 50 cal. machine guns and ammo. And then fly at 300 mph.

Not sure about navigation landing,position or formation lights. According to Taz101(Lurch) over on RCG, there were quite a few lights:

*The landing lights are retractable and situated just in front of the landing gear.

*Nav lights consisted of your normal Red/Green on the wing tips. They where inlaid into the top (And bottom on some models) like the P-38s. And they had white running lights on the outside of each vertical stab.

*Then you have the bomb lights on the back of the plane just under the rear turret. These consisted of a red and a white light.

*They also had the standard recognition/indentification lights.(NOT formation lights as most people call them) The Red/Green/Orange on the bottom of the plane between the front bomb bay doors. And a white light on the upper side of the fuse just near the whip antenna.

*It also had formation lights. These consisted of 4 lights on the horizontal plane (2 on each side of the fuse) and 3 lights on the top of the fuse, the rear most one starting just in front of the tail plane. All of these were blue.

*Then there was also a Red light placed on the leading edge of the left wing in between the two engines. This was called/known as a Passing Light.

Not sure what to do here. Quite a light board and a rats nest of wires to run. Anybody thinking about adding lights? Sure would be a cool adder.

I've been waiting for a foam B-24 a long time as this plane means a lot to me. Can't thank the Motion team enough.

As a current member of the 93rd, I will try to bring her to a reunion event. One of the few legacy USAAF groups around with only a few actual veterans still living. But the group lives on with the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who want to preserve history and carry on the legacy for future generations. There's even an active museum on the property at Hardwick and a couple Facebook groups.

Anxious for tomorrow!

Hawk

[ruffneckx1]

Am thinking about adding lights. My main concern will be the thickness of the main wing regarding running wire out to the wing tips.

Woody