11/08/2010
Warbirdfare
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft Company of San Diego, California. Its mass production was brought into full force by 1943 with the aid of the Ford Motor Company through its newly constructed Willow Run facility, where peak production had reached one B-24 per hour and 650 per month in 1944. Other factories soon followed. The B-24 ended World War II as the most produced Allied heavy bomber in history, and the most produced American military aircraft at over 18,000 units, thanks in large measure to Henry Ford and the harnessing of American industry. It still holds the distinction as the most-produced American military aircraft. The B-24 was used by several Allied air forces and navies, and by every branch of the American armed forces during the war, attaining a distinguished war record with its operations in the Western European, Pacific, Mediterranean, and China-Burma-India Theaters.
Often compared with the better-known B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed, greater range, and a heavier bomb load; however, it was also more difficult to fly, with heavy control forces and poor formation-flying characteristics. Popular opinion among aircrews and general's staffs tended to favor the B-17's rugged qualities above all other considerations in the European Theater. The placement of the B-24's fuel tanks throughout the upper fuselage and its lightweight construction, designed to increase range and optimize assembly line production, made the aircraft vulnerable to battle damage. The B-24 was notorious among American aircrews for its tendency to catch fire. Moreover, its high fuselage-mounted Davis wing also meant it was dangerous to ditch or belly land, since the fuselage tended to break apart. Nevertheless, the B-24 provided excellent service in a variety of roles thanks to its large payload and long range.
The B-24's most famous mission was the low-level strike against the Ploesti oil fields, in Romania on 1 August 1943, which turned into a disaster due to attack waves getting out of sequence.
General characteristics
- Crew: 7-10
- Length: 67 ft 8 in (20.6 m)
- Wingspan: 110 ft 0 in (33.5 m)
- Height: 18 ft 0 in (5.5 m)
- Wing area: 1,048 ft² (97.4 m²)
- Empty weight: 36,500 lb (16,590 kg)
- Loaded weight: 55,000 lb (25,000 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 65,000 lb (29,500 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-1830 turbosupercharged radial engines, 1,200 hp (900 kW) each
- Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0406
- Drag area: 42.54 ft² (3.95 m²)
- Aspect ratio: 11.55
Performance
- Maximum speed: 290 mph (250 kn, 470 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 215 mph (187 kn, 346 km/h)
- Stall speed: 95 mph (83 kn, 153 km/h)
- Range: 2,100 mi (1,800 nmi, 3,400 km)
- Ferry range: 3,700 mi (3,200 nmi, 6,000 km)
- Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,500 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,025 ft/min (5.2 m/s)
- Wing loading: 52.5 lb/ft² (256 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.0873 hp/lb (144 W/kg)
- Lift-to-drag ratio: 12.9
Armament
- 10 × .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in 4 turrets and two waist positions
- Short range (˜400 mi): 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) bombs
- Long range (˜800 mi): 5,000 lb (2,300 kg) bombs
- Very long range (˜1,200 mi): 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) bombs
** Warbird Fare - Consolidated B-24 Liberator
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