B-25J-15-NC 44-28834
History
B-25J-15-NC 44-28834 was delivered on July 21, 1944. She was assigned to training B-25 crews at Columbia AAF, South Carolina between August 1944 and March 1946. She was transferred to Langley Field, Virginia in 1946 where she performed administrative duties prior to being put into open storage at Pyote Field, Texas in 1947. After six years in storage she was recalled in 1953 and attached to the administrative base unit at Stewart AFB, New York. At Stewart she was used to support the Air Defense Command unit there until transferred to Mitchell Field, New York in June 1956. She ended her military career as a utility aircraft for the 26th Air Defense Headquarters at Mitchell Field. Her last stop was Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona where she was placed into storage and declared surplus. The following summary of assignments are listed on her record card:
Base Assignments
| Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 08/08/1944 | Columbia AFB, SC | 329 Base Unit |
| 02/02/1945 | Columbia AFB, SC | 129 Base Unit |
| 11/07/1945 | Shaw AFB, SC | 139 Base Unit |
| 03/03/1946 | Langley Field, VA | 76 Base Unit |
| 05/16/1946 | Langley Field, VA | 304 Base Unit |
| 03/31/1947 | Langley Field, VA | 363 Base Unit |
| 10/07/1947 | Pyote AAB, TX | 4141 Base Unit, Storage |
| 12/12/1949 | Pyote AAB, TX | 2753 Air Storage Squadron |
| 04/20/1953 | Stewart AFB, NY | 4700 Base Unit |
| 06/04/1954 | Birmingham, AL | Maintenance to TB-25N |
| 09/07/1954 | Stewart AFB, NY | 4700 Base Unit |
| 06/04/1956 | Mitchell Field, NY | 26 Air Division HQ |
| 12/1957 | Davis Monthan AFB, AZ | Storage |
| 04/1958 | Davis Monthan AFB, AZ | Surplus |
She was sold from inventory at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1958 to Air Spray Inc. and modified into a borate tanker. She flew with Western Air Services as tanker number 30 and with Aero Union as tanker E30. After the B-25 type was withdrawn from tanker duties in 1962 by the US Forest Service she passed through several owners while doing very little flying. Eventually she was modified back to a basic stock B-25. CAF member James Hazlitt applied a military color scheme and flew her in support of CAF functions after acquiring her in 1973. She was named "Love Machine" at the time and was based at Galveston, Texas. The aircraft was grounded in the late l970s at Galveston due to corrosion. Many critical areas of the airframe were affected by the corrosion making a restoration back to airworthy condition costly and difficult. After sitting idle for a number of years she was sold to Aero Trader of California in 1979. Initially intended for recovery and restoration, she was instead sold in l985 while still at Galveston, to Gerald Beck of Wahpeton, North Dakota. Mr. Beck disassembled and transported her to North Dakota where she was donated to the Grand Forks AFB Museum in North Dakota. Volunteer crews at Grand Forks restored the bomber to resemble 43-27889 a B-25 named "Flo" which had flown with the 321st Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Squadron in the MTO during WW II. Grand Forks AFB is home to the lineage of this 321st Bomb Group today called the 321st Strategic Missile Wing. The aircraft is on display at Grand Forks.
- Model: B-25J-15-NC
- Serial Number: 44-28834
- NAA Mfg. Number: 108-32109
- FAA Registration: N9865C
- Mfg. Plant: Fairfax - Kansas City, Kansas
- Completion Date: July 20, 1944
- Delivery Date: July 21, 1944
- Status: Static
- Owner: Grand Forks Air Force Base
- Location: Grand Forks, ND
- Website: https://www.grandforks.af.mil/
Photos
This page represents the most current information we have on this aircraft. The information above was last updated 09/2019 with information provided by Bob Haney. 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.