B-25D-NC SN 41-29648 "Miss Greater Kansas City"
History
The B-25D-NC SN 41-29648 was completed on December 23, 1941. She was the first B-25 bomber built by the new North American, Kansas plant. The story of her assembly is one of determination. The Fairfax plant was not originally planned as a manufacturing plant. Indeed, the first 100 planes were assembled from B-25C parts. Indeed, when the assembly of "Miss Greater Kansas City" started, the plant was not completed. The large north doors that enclosed the assembly area were not yet completed. The men and women worked in the cold as it would be almost a year before the plant was heated. There was no assembly line. The area was so empty, that during lunch hours, employees like Harold Tillman would roll washers on the floor to see who could get the greatest distance. At night, the plant was mostly dark and desolate.
"Miss Greater Kansas City" left the Fairfax airport for her first assignment at Wright Patterson in Dayton, Ohio arriving on February 2, 1942. She was officially accepted by the military on February 17, 1942, presumably after extended testing. She spent some time at Wright Patterson as a trainer until June 4, 1943 when she was transferred to La Junta, Colorado. At La Junta, she was assigned to the 3020 Base Unit as a trainer. She spent the rest of the war there until she was scrapped on July 21, 1945.
She may have been the first, but she wouldn't be the last. By the end of the war, another 6,679 B-25s and enough spare parts to build 947 more bombers were manufactured by the Fairfax plant alone. The rest of the story behind the building of "Miss Greater Kansas City" may be found here.
- Model: B-25D-NC
- Serial Number: 41-29648
- NAA Mfg. Number: 87-7813
- FAA Registration: Never registered
- Mfg. Plant: Fairfax - Kansas City, Kansas
- Completion Date: December 23, 1941
- Delivery Date: February 17, 1942
- Status: Scrapped July 21, 1945
- Owner: n/a
- Location: Scrapped
- Website: n/a
- Notable info: The first B-25D-NC produced.
Photos
This page represents the most current information we have on this aircraft. The information above was last updated 12/2016. Our goal is to have the most current and correct information possible. If you have any information about this aircraft not listed here or see anything posted in error, please contact the B-25 History Project so we may update our records.