So we'd have 50 caliber machine guns, we can see that there's one that is sticking out the window. “Right now we're in the, the aft part of the airplane, basically the defensive area of the airplane. After acquiring the plane, the CAF ended up restoring the plane to its original configuration. “They ended up using it throughout the war to transport people and cargo through the five different factories that were building the B-24 during World War II, and they also used it as a flying testbed," Fenelon said.Īfter that, it went to Mexico, where it was used as an executive aircraft for a Mexican oil company, which is where the CAF found it. The right main landing gear, the brakes locked up, pulled the airplane off to the side off the runway, the gear folded, the nose gear folded, crunched the bomb bay," Fenelon said.ĭespite never making to combat, the Diamond Lil still saw service in the war. “There were some training that was going on out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and two TWA pilots were doing some takeoffs and landings to get proficient in the airplane. That didn’t end up happening, as the plane was involved in an accident. But the problem was, the Germans came into France and kind of ruined the plans," Fenelon said. “It was originally supposed to go to France. Among the other planes, it operates the last flying B-24 Liberator, the “Diamond Lil,” and “Fifi,” one of only two airworthy B-29 Superfortresses - the same kind of plane that dropped the atomic bombs on Japan.īrian Fenelon, an Albany native and former Southwest Airlines pilot, says the history of this particular B-24 is convoluted. The non-profit is devoted to restoring and preserving historic aircraft, with bases across the United States. That’s the engine of a PT-17 Stearman, one of the planes on display as part of the Commemorative Air Force event. History was on display at Albany International Airport over the weekend, with the runways and skies hosting World War II-era aircraft.
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