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Warbird sighting

PRB

PRB

Administrator
Staff member
I was sitting here at this computer and heard the unmistakable sound of "big radials" outside. Stepped out on the deck and saw a plane, sort of far away, close to the horizon. Couldn't ID it. Ran for the 12X50 binocs and stepped back out. North American B-25! And then, right behind him, Grumman TBF! Is that cool or what? They were west of here (KSUS), headed south. B-25s have such a rich beautiful sound.
 
Ok, I'm officially jealous :icon_lol:. The only thing around here that flies with radials is the occasional old crop duster.
 
Some years back I was walking down the beach with my pooch and I heard the sound of an airplane, cloud cover was low but I could hear it coming.. As I turned around to see what It was a P-51 dropped out of the clouds and flew by... It was low enough that I could see the pilot and it was awesome! I gave him a wave and the plane went south.
 
living here in auburn,we see plenty of cool planes..everything from turboprops and radials to ofcourse jets,and i dont mean the contrails,around me is ofcourse,auburn,and then lincoln,McClellan,beale afb,mather,placerville,cameron park,goergetown,and then the sanders (saunders?) brothers are just down the way with thier seafuries,allthough i had read the airport was forsale...but ive never heard if it sold or not,but in late july and august,we see several reno racers over the canyon here,i really dont know if its a designated "practice area",as i was once told it was,but i see the reno racers,everything from the seafuries and P51s to pitts and at6's..but there are also several times ive seen areobatics being performed over there...
 
Being sort of close to KSTL, and evidently right under the normal path to approach the airport, I get "tubes" flying over, at about 5000-6000-ish all day long. They're airplanes, so they're cool to watch, far as I'm concerned. B-25s and TBFs are bit cooler, however...
 
Damn! The B-25 and TBF just flew right over my house! In formation! Must ben the same ones. That was cool.
 
Just got a low (and late!) 8:00 pm turning-buzz directly over the house by B-25 "Miss Mitchell", landing lights glowing - and house rattling. : )
 
Paul, I was curious as to which specific B-25 and TBM you have been seeing, and they must be the two that are opperated by the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. Their B-25 is of course a very popular one, with its "Show Me" nose art. : )

I was sort of suprised, after having seen "Miss Mitchell" over the city several times yesterday, that it just came over again not too long ago, around lunch. It's something that I have been used to seeing since I can remember (I was born in 1987, and its first flight was in 1992), but something that has never gotten old or "passe". One of my earliest memories is actually from being lifted up to look inside the aircraft, while it was still under restoration, when I was about three years old.

It's one thing, to hear a B-25 at an air show in a wide-open space - it's another thing, to hear it echoing off city buildings as it passes over. ; )
 
Hi John. I'm guessing it's the Missouri Wing B-25. I didn't know that had a TBM. If so, it's a good guess that was it. Seems like every time I go out there, the "big planes" are gone! The sound. They were no more than 1000 feet when they passed over the house together, and I heard the sound increasing for several seconds before I decided I needed to run outside, and when I did, you could already feel the "base" component of the thunderous sound. Nothing quite like it! :)
 
Yeah, it's like a pack of Harleys (but not quite the same - much better!). : )

It seems fairly popular for warbird museums that have a B-25 to also have a TBM Avenger - both running the same engines.

Some photos of the pair:

B-25andTBM.jpg


TBMandB-25.jpg
 
PRB said:
I was sitting here at this computer and heard the unmistakable sound of "big radials" outside. Stepped out on the deck and saw a plane, sort of far away, close to the horizon. Couldn't ID it. Ran for the 12X50 binocs and stepped back out. North American B-25! And then, right behind him, Grumman TBF! Is that cool or what? They were west of here (KSUS), headed south. B-25s have such a rich beautiful sound.
Click to expand...

Head up to KSET and you can see them in person.

They are both based there with the CAF wing.

The Avenger has a new motor. it threw a jug about two years ago in flight and had to divert to Fourney.
 
Yep, I've been there twice since I've been back, but the B-25 and TBM were gone both times. I may check it out again this weekend.

Ok, today, just now - check this out: A Russian Mi-8 helicopter just flew over, quite low too. Looks like somebody should have made that left turn at Albuquerque!
 
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