FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1945
1945 - 0805.PDF
APRIL 26TH, 1945 onversion Course : ] to Service B-24s (Right) Massed aircrews listen to the C.O.'s briefing before the take-off. Many of these ' pupils' have already been on operations against the Japs in other types of aircraft, but the R.A.A.F. is using increasing numbers of Liberators in the Pacific area. When the B-24 squadrons were first planned no facilities existed in the R.A.A.F. for providing the necessary conversion courses, so they were trained by U.S-A.A.F. instructors in Queensland and w^re. Later, R.A.A.F. nen^with the necessary ex- jerience were brought back to Australia. (Below; This mobile bomb-teacher reproduces,for the trainee bomb-aimer, every likely condition to be encountered on a real bombing run. It iselectrically operated and carries its own batteries, so it can be used anywhere on the station. (Above) Ground crews also take a conversion course in servicing Liberators at Tocumwal. The B-24S are flown from the U.S. to Amberley (Queensland) and ferried to the O.T.U., so when they reach this station they have only done about 40 hours flying, having previously come straight off the assembly line. The ground crews thus also have the advantage of training on the very latest examples of the famous B-24 rrlberator- The unit's aircraft are flying almost every Jjour of the day and night, so the ground staff are kept ousy and their "conversion" is worked in with the routine servicing. In the above picture the segmented f ^ct on the leading edge of the fin shows the presence of de-icing equipment. Total armament can comprise up to 14 0.5m. machine guns.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
