Taxiing past the Pinwheel helicopter (see photo 678360) at Van Nuys. This airport was used by the USAF until 1990. The old Mitchell was one of a 1000-aircraft batch from fiscal year 1944. The tail number system requires the first digit of the full serial to be omitted. When in 1954 someone observed that 1940s and 1950s planes with the same tail numbers were in active service, this was curiously addressed not by simply adding the 'decade digit', but by introding a 0 (not O) prefix for older aircraft. See the article in our AirHistory Magazine section. Photo by: Ralph Crane / Life

August/45:Rolled out as B-25J 45-8884. October/45: RFC Altus AAF, OK. December/46: TOS USAAF; stored. September/47: Converted to TB-25J. 1958: Norton AFB, CA, sold for $1960. October/58: Registered N3156G. 1979: Jerry Janes, Vancouver, BC. 1982: Flown to Tahiti; used in the movie "Endless Sea." 1982: Canadian Warplane Heritage; registered C-GCWJ. august/85: Registered N5833B. August/85: Based with Air Aces Museum. Marked as USAF 45-8884A, "Georgia Girl." September/04 to 2007: Chino, CA for complete restoration to military standard.

6 Jul '45: TOS USAAF as B-25J 44-86797; assigned to Yuma AAF, AZ. 1/46: Mather AAF, CA; converted to TB-25J. 9/57: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, for storage and disposal. 5/59: Registered as N3438G. 2/85: Wiley Sanders, Troy Municipal, Troy, AL. Marked as "Old Grey Mare." 7 Jun 2004: Hans O. Lauridsen, Glendale, AZ; added to his Lauridsen Aviation Museum at Buckeye, AZ. 18 Jul 2019: C/r N3438G cancelled. Photographed by my late father, Harry E. Chatfield.

6 Jul '45: TOS USAAF as B-25J 44-86797; assigned to Yuma AAF, AZ. 1/46: Mather AAF, CA; converted to TB-25J. 9/57: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, for storage and disposal. 5/59: Registered as N3438G. 2/85: Wiley Sanders, Troy Municipal, Troy, AL. Marked as "Old Grey Mare." 7 Jun 2004: Hans O. Lauridsen, Glendale, AZ; added to his Lauridsen Aviation Museum at Buckeye, AZ. 18 Jul 2019: C/r N3438G cancelled. Photographed by my late father, Harry E. Chatfield.

6/45: TOS USAAF as B-25J 44-86725; placed in storage. 10/51: Converted to TB-25J. 1/52: TOS RCAF as 5243. 9/62: Stored Dunnsville, Ontario; last RCAF B-25. 10/63: Registered N92899. 10/62: Restored to full military configuration with new glass nose, side gun packs and armor plating. 12/63: TOS Venezuelan Air Force as 19A40 (later AV-5800). 6/73: TOS Bolivian Air Force as 541; their last B-25. 1979: Retired to La Paz as gate guardian. 1988: Restoration began. 4/93: Stallion Aircraft Inc, Bensenville, IL. 1995: Jim Morgan, loaned to Evergreen Air Museum. Now based with Oklahoma Museum of Flying.

6/45: TOS USAAF as B-25J 44-86725; placed in storage. 10/51: Converted to TB-25J. 1/52: TOS RCAF as 5243. 9/62: Stored Dunnsville, Ontario; last RCAF B-25. 10/63: Registered N92899. 10/62: Restored to full military configuration with new glass nose, side gun packs and armor plating. 12/63: TOS Venezuelan Air Force as 19A40 (later AV-5800). 6/73: TOS Bolivian Air Force as 541; their last B-25. 1979: Retired to La Paz as gate guardian. 1988: Restoration began. 4/93: Stallion Aircraft Inc, Bensenville, IL. 1995: Jim Morgan, loaned to Evergreen Air Museum. Now based with Oklahoma Museum of Flying

6/45: TOS USAAF as B-25J 44-86725; placed in storage. 10/51: Converted to TB-25J. 1/52: TOS RCAF as 5243. 9/62: Stored Dunnsville, Ontario; last RCAF B-25. 10/63: Registered N92899. 10/62: Restored to full military configuration with new glass nose, side gun packs and armor plating. 12/63: TOS Venezuelan Air Force as 19A40 (later AV-5800). 6/73: TOS Bolivian Air Force as 541; their last B-25. 1979: Retired to La Paz as gate guardian. 1988: Restoration began. 4/93: Stallion Aircraft Inc, Bensenville, IL. 1995: Jim Morgan, loaned to Evergreen Air Museum. Now based with Oklahoma Museum of Flying.

17 Jan '45: TOS USAAF as B-25J and assigned to the Air Technical Service Center, Brookley Field, AL. April/45: Place in storage with several units. October/51: Converted to TB-25J. 5/53: Upgraded TB-25L. 6/53: Converted it to TB-25M radar trainer. April/55: Wright Air Development Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH; converted to ETB-25M. March/56: Redesignated JTB-25M. September/59: SOC and ferried to the SAC Museum, Offutt AFB, NE. By 1994: Painted it in bogus desert camouflage scheme and named "Desert Doom" with a skull and crossbones painted on the nose. 1997: Trucked to new museum facility in Ashland, NE.

27 Sep '44: TOS USAAF B-25J 44-29465. 1945: Converted to TB-25J. Passed through numerous units, mostly used for training. 11 May '54: Suffered hydraulic line failure in flight and a C-47 lowered tools and equipment via rope through a window in the nose, which the crew had broken out, and the crew repaired the line to allow the landing gear to operate. 12/54 to 3/55: Converted to TB-25N. 12/58: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ for storage. 1/59: SOC. 10/59: Registered N3523G. 1977 to 1989: Restored. 2/86: Re-registered as N25GL 8 June 2000: Maj. Gen. William Lyon, Santa Ana, CA.

27 Sep '44: TOS USAAF B-25J 44-29465. 1945: Converted to TB-25J. Passed through numerous units, mostly used for training. 11 May '54: Suffered hydraulic line failure in flight and a C-47 lowered tools and equipment via rope through a window in the nose, which the crew had broken out, and the crew repaired the line to allow the landing gear to operate. 12/54 to 3/55: Converted to TB-25N. 12/58: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ for storage. 1/59: SOC. 10/59: Registered N3523G. 1977 to 1989: Restored. 2/86: Re-registered as N25GL 8 June 2000: Maj. Gen. William Lyon, Santa Ana, CA.

27 Sep '44: TOS USAAF B-25J 44-29465. 1945: Converted to TB-25J. Passed through numerous units, mostly used for training. 11 May '54: Suffered hydraulic line failure in flight and a C-47 lowered tools and equipment via rope through a window in the nose, which the crew had broken out, and the crew repaired the line to allow the landing gear to operate. 12/54 to 3/55: Converted to TB-25N. 12/58: Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ for storage. 1/59: SOC. 10/59: Registered N3523G. 1977 to 1989: Restored. 2/86: Re-registered as N25GL 8 June 2000: Maj. Gen. William Lyon, Santa Ana, CA.

Seen on display at an airshow at (then) Lockbourne AFB, Columbus, Ohio in 1954.

ex USAAF 44-86791, N8196H, VH-XXV "A47-31"

ex USAAF 44-86791, N8196H, VH-XXV "A47-31"

Looking magnificent, this is one of seven airworthy aircraft on display at the Lyon Air Museum. All seven are in immaculate condition and look as if they were painted and polished yesterday. "Guardian Of Freedom" is ex USAAF 44-29465, which is carried on the fin. It was acquired by museum owner William Lyon in June 2000. The wonderful nose art is only painted on the left side.

Built for USAAF as 44-86727. Transferred to Canada as 5230. Sold post-war as N92875 and operated in executive role. Acquired by the USMC Museum and restored to represent the PB-1J Mitchells operated during and after WW2.

This B-25 was built at Kansas City and delivered to the Mobile Air Technical Service Center at Brookley AAF, AL in January 1945. in went in and out of storage until final retirement in 1959 and is now on display at the super Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum at Ashland.

Built in 1944 and stored on Falcon Field.