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Post by mickywest on Jul 3, 2018 13:35:50 GMT
Many of the early British ordered LB-30s became transports. Later some hundreds of the purpose built C-87, with it's large cargo doors, were built. Production of the LB-30s for Britain had outstripped factory expansion as here on 26Dec1940 at San Diego  Consoldiated Factory Details: B-24 assembly Date: 12/26/1940 by SDASM Archives, on Flickr  Very early short nose LB-30s being assembled in the open air in San Diego spring 1941? 
Consolidated : C-87 : Liberator Express by SDASM Archives, on Flickr No information on the above very early Liberator perhaps being converted to a transport outdoors at San Diego (note the later USAAF star) Attachments:
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Post by mickywest on Jul 3, 2018 13:40:58 GMT
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Post by mickywest on Jul 3, 2018 13:59:54 GMT
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Post by mickywest on Jul 3, 2018 19:41:28 GMT
 B-24 wing-spar centre sections in a huge new plant 'Somewhere in the South-West', May 1942. The spar passing through the fuselage in the 'shoulder' position reduced the cabin headroom considerably around the centre of gravity making the Liberator's transport use a compromise. This did not prevent Winston Churchill from travelling in one.  Churchill's LB-30 'Commando' was later modified to a configuration close to the RY-3 stretched, single-fin Liberator transport, though it retained LB-30 circular cowlings .....Churchill never flew in Commando in it's stretched form.  Consolidated LB-30 Liberator II AL504 'Commando' by Batman_60, on Flickr. Here carrying Dutch Royalty 1945, crashed a month later in the Atlantic  From the IWM C-87s being completed at Fort Worth 
C-87 view past Navigators table to small hatch (less than 24 inches square, see yardstick)...leading to passenger compartment under wing spar 
View forward to hatch from passenger seats under spar ...note single seats with central aisle in this version  C-87 passenger cabin under wing spar looking from hatch to higher section at rear, factory built seats removable for cargo, note cramped double and single rows separated by narrow aisle in this version (suspicion that it's actually an RY-3???)  Detail photos all Consolidated : C-87 : Liberator Express by SDASM Archives, on Flickr British Air Correspondent Peter Masefield in a C-87 cockpit (neat zoom software!) texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth41157/m1/1/zoom/?resolution=1&lat=1889&lon=876 |
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Post by biafranbaby on Jul 4, 2018 18:45:04 GMT
Micky
I would be grateful if you give me a quick call on michaeldraper123@btinternet.com. Look forward to hearing from you.
Mike
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Post by mickywest on Jul 20, 2019 23:54:29 GMT
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2019 8:12:19 GMT
Very interesting photos - quite a few I've not seen before. Have drawn quite a few of the B-24 transport variant...
Here is RAF operated LB.30 that was the victim of a friendly fire incident...the scheme is based on what was typical for the period. I've drawn a few RAF examples and randomly pulled a drawing out of the files - and of course, it was the only 'speculative' example.
In the middle is C-87, 41-24158 'Fire Ball Express'...the aircraft that was the centre of a LIFE magazine story in 1943. The journo flew with the crew on a 26,000 mile return supply trip to the base of the Himalayas.
At the bottom is the Liberator C.IX / RY-3 that was used on the San Diego/Sydney run during 1945/46. (I didn't even know this variant existed until I was asked to draw it)
Juanita |
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Post by mickywest on Aug 15, 2019 15:17:11 GMT
Very fine graphics, Juanita. I've inserted a few shots above by edit on Churchill's LB-30 Commando which was modified to near RY-3 standard after he was given a personal Avro York. More later. Micky
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twocee
Junior Member
Posts: 26
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Post by twocee on Aug 17, 2019 19:19:34 GMT
Fine drawings indeed.
As regards the RY-3s, Jim Halley's RAF Squadrons book says that they equipped 231 Sqdn. at Dorval/Bermuda and 232 in India. Why then would 90041 be used on the SD/Sydney run in 1945/6? Why would the RAF need to fly to San Diego? Perhaps San Diego to India via Sydney was the delivery route, or perhaps it was on loan to Consairway.
George Kernahan
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Post by mickywest on Oct 12, 2023 23:00:40 GMT
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Post by Stig Jarlevik on Oct 13, 2023 11:54:33 GMT
Micky
Very nice colour shot indeed.
I think we can date the photo a bit more closer by using LN-IAD as a reference.
Aircraft was delivered to DNL 24 June 1946 but not officially transferred to SAS until 1 Aug 1948.
I have no date when it was repainted with SAS logo (that could have happened before the
officials caught up) but if we take 1948 as a pointer I think we can forward the date to that year.
G-AHZP was unfortunate enough to crash 13 Oct 1948....
Thanks again Micky
Cheers
Stig
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Post by Stig Jarlevik on Oct 13, 2023 12:18:04 GMT
Fine drawings indeed. As regards the RY-3s, Jim Halley's RAF Squadrons book says that they equipped 231 Sqdn. at Dorval/Bermuda and 232 in India. Why then would 90041 be used on the SD/Sydney run in 1945/6? Why would the RAF need to fly to San Diego? Perhaps San Diego to India via Sydney was the delivery route, or perhaps it was on loan to Consairway. George Kernahan George Our Liberator book says the aircraft was positioned at San Diego 6 Aug 1945 for Pacific services. That was only two months after it was delivered by Consolidated to Dorval There is a photo of said aircraft stated as taken at Whenapui in New Zealand still with 231 Sq (undated) and it seems most likely it had once departed from San Diego. Since 231 Sq disbanded on 15 Jan 1946 it begs the question who used the aircraft from then until it was handed back to US Navy on 16 April 1946.... Cheers Stig |
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