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By: - 20th July 2019 at 22:11 Permalink - Edited 20th July 2019 at 22:30
There is great background history of AL557 in the book "Hidden Warbirds" by Nick Veronico. Here's a google link to book excerpts:
http://books.google.com/books?id=X-y...ins%22&f=false
AL557 ended up in India for about ten and a half months on 159 Squadron, a focus of my research. Here’s an excerpt from Nick’s book:
...at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, England. Here the bomber was prepared for operations in India.
After making the transit, AL557 arrived at Salbani, India (west of Calcutta), on July 10, 1943, where it was assigned to No. 159 Squadron, Air Command South East Asia. Here the Liberator served as a long-range transport for nearly a year. On May 23, 1944, AL557 departed India for the Mediterranean Allied Forces. In April 1945, AL557 was flown from the Mediterranean to Scottish Aviation for conversion to a passenger carrier.
I have copies of six 159 Squadron airmen’s logbooks which mention this particular aircraft on 22 training flights between 3 August and 1 October 1943. Attached is one entry from the logbook of 404534 RNZAF observer Joseph Nolan Culleton. He flew only once aboard AL557.
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By: - 21st July 2019 at 01:26 Permalink
Notice the wing is from a USAAF example.
By: - 21st July 2019 at 01:57 Permalink
175K that person has to be dreaming.
By: - 21st July 2019 at 02:32 Permalink
Yes, that wing shows American markings, but...
From the Nick Veronico book, and via the AL557 history in “The Liberator in Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Service” by James D. Oughton, it is clear that this aircraft never flew with the US military. It is a safe bet that the wings which are for sale are from AL557, not another Liberator with US provenance; photos of the pranged-and-recovered AL557 airframe show recoverable wings. Here is a photo of the wreck in Alaska before recovery -- from the Trade-A-Plane ad (via WIX forum). My guess is that the American insignia was bogus.
A further excerpt from the Veronico book:
In July 1990, the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage recovered the ex-World War II bomber and put it up for sale. In 1996, the fairly intact bomber project was bought by the Lone Star Flight Museum of Galveston, Texas…Lone Star had the aircraft transported to Vintage Aircraft Ltd. At Fort Collins, Colorado, where it has remained in outside storage. In 2001, Lone Star sold the bomber to Don Whittington’s World Jet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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By: - 21st July 2019 at 02:47 Permalink
I was thinking the wing might be from a different aircraft.
I don't know why someone would paint wreckage unless it was used in a film.
By: - 22nd July 2019 at 19:09 Permalink
Its currently in Fort Collins Colorado i have lots of photos of it taken recently
By: - 22nd July 2019 at 21:46 Permalink - Edited 22nd July 2019 at 21:49
But I'm guessing that AL557 is no longer in the same outdoor location where it was stored for years, on the side of a building at 128 Racquette Drive. Can you tell us anything more, mikeeepannell? At least it's not outdoors in the latest-available Google Earth imagery dated 14 October 2017. The previous imagery, 7 Sept 2016, showed the Liberator remnants still in outdoor storage.
Sure would be great to learn that the remnants are protected against the elements for the time being, though for all I know, the remains were simply moved to another outdoor location nearby, still in Fort Collins, CO.
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By: - 22nd July 2019 at 23:55 Permalink - Edited 22nd July 2019 at 23:58
Someone posted this on the Warbirds Information Exchange (WIX) forum:
YEARS ago when I talked to the Whittington Bros (representative?) about the plane I was told the wings came from somewhere else and were in a "much better" state than the rest of the fuselage.
This would explain the US markings on the underside of the wing; the US star can be seen in the 7 Sept 2016 satellite image I posted.
By: - 23rd July 2019 at 08:25 Permalink
Someone posted this on the Warbirds Information Exchange (WIX) forum:YEARS ago when I talked to the Whittington Bros (representative?) about the plane I was told the wings came from somewhere else and were in a "much better" state than the rest of the fuselage.
This would explain the US markings on the underside of the wing; the US star can be seen in the 7 Sept 2016 satellite image I posted.
Privateer wings possibly?
By: - 23rd July 2019 at 19:30 Permalink - Edited 23rd July 2019 at 19:32
Not Privateer wings...at least not with an identification based solely on those markings.
The insignia seen is 1942-style, the PB4Y-2s (the single fin model for those of you not fluent in USN designations) of which many survived post war to serve as fire bombers...and thus could be the source of any spare wings laying about...were built much later and never used that style of national markings.
By: - 23rd July 2019 at 19:56 Permalink
Its now outside the back of Ray Middletons hanger next door on Racquette drive, still out in the open
By: - 23rd July 2019 at 22:34 Permalink
Thanks for that, mikeeepannell. Oh well, still in outdoor storage. I located its new outdoor location on the 14 Oct 2017 Google Earth imagery.
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By: - 24th July 2019 at 01:22 Permalink
And sadly the origional advert has now been deleted.
By: - 24th July 2019 at 03:16 Permalink
And sadly the origional advert has now been deleted.
Or perhaps happily a buyer has been found and it is off to a loving home.....
:)
By: - 24th July 2019 at 04:08 Permalink
Yes my missile silo in Cheyenne....in my dreams
By: - 24th July 2019 at 15:09 Permalink
I do hope someone steps up and takes on the project.
After all, compared to most Spitfire projects nowadays, (which look to be pieces of long buried wrecks), this aircraft is almost complete!
Posts: 14
By: - 13th March 2024 at 12:40 Permalink
Does anyone have photographs of AL557 from its time with 120 Squadron? I can't find anything, and it's not been without effort. I also happen to have the excellent "B-24 LIBERATOR IN RAF COASTAL COMMAND SERVICE", but there's no mention of this aircraft within.
Of particular interest would be precisely what colour scheme it had when it was with 120 Sqdn. I'm going to assume temperate sea/ slate/ extra dark grey and white, but would be nice to have confirmation of that.
By: - 14th March 2024 at 14:35 Permalink
Where have you looked?
Posts: 14
By: - 14th March 2024 at 15:06 Permalink
https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=al557
Similar sites that are databases for RAF aircraft
The above mentioned book (which is very comprehensive), and good old Google searching.
Do you happen to have further information to clarify the question I have? Would be fantastic if you do.
By: - 14th March 2024 at 16:35 Permalink
DoRIS at the RAF Museum would be a start; IWM photo archive another. You said, " it's not been without effort", so I assume you've visited other photo archives?
Googling will only render a limited amount: proper research involves legwork (as in, getting out and doing it old school). The RAF Museum archives in particular are well worth a visit and the staff are very helpful.
Posts: 31
By: GraemePaul - 20th July 2019 at 19:17
I saw this over on Wix forum. If the lottery numbers ever come up, Would love to see a B-24 in RAF / Coastal command colours..
https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Multi+Engine+Piston&make=CONSOLIDATED+VULTEE&model=B-24&listing_id=2359008&s-type=aircraft#