View
a slideshow of the empty hangar here,
(opens in new window).
This
web site is dedicated to all the crews of the North American B-25
Mitchell Bombers, in particular, the B-25J "Heavenly Body".
Manufactured by North American at the Kansas city plant in late
1944 and was accepted by the U.S Army Air Force, in February 1945,
as B-25J-25-NC USAAF s/n 44-30748, North American construction number
108-34023. The history & story
of the B-25J “Heavenly Body” is here. This
B-25J remained stateside and was never used overseas during World
War II, but did remain in
service as a TB-25J multi-engine advance trainer for military
pilots until 1958. Following removal from military inventory in
January 1959, it was then purchased by Avery Aviation and based
at Graybull, Wyoming. In 1969 it was purchased by Filmways Inc.
and flown to Tallmantz Aviation at Orange County, California, for
the Paramount movie, "Catch-22" and was one of
eighteen B-25 aircraft used in that film. In 1972 it was then purchased
by the present owner and underwent extensive restoration with sheer
blood, sweat and tears and did not fly again until 1974. Heavenly
Body is still flying today and on a regular basis and is flown
and maintained by an all-volunteer crew. Heavenly Body has
been attending and participating at airshows throughout the U.S.A.
from the mid 1970's, to the present day. In April 1992, "Heavenly Body" was the first B-25 in fifty years to fly from the deck of an aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Ranger in San Diego Bay. That event was to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of then, Lt. Col. James Doolittle's, flight of sixteen B-25 aircraft from the navy carrier, U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8), on April 18, 1942 to bomb Japan in retaliation for that country's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
In March 1997, an original and complete upper gun turret and tail gun assembly, was installed on "Heavenly Body". In early 2007, "Heavenly Body" has one of its original radio receivers in working order.
Chad "Scrounger" Sisk, Crew Chief gives a talk on the Heavenly Body.
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