B-25J-25-NC SN 44-30243
History
The B-25J-25 SN 44-30243 was delivered on December 27, 1944 and was a pilot and crew trainer operating between Columbia AAF and Greenville AAF in South Carolina during WW II. With the end of WW II she was flown to Grenier AAF New Hampshire. She was used there for administrative duties by the base command unit. After eight months at Grenier she was transferred to MacDill AFB, Florida where she was again assigned administrative duties before being transferred to Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio in l948. At Wright-Patterson she was officially reclassified a CB-25J for personnel transport work. After more than 13 years of service with the USAAF and the USAF she was retired to Davis-Monthan AFB for disposal in December 1957. the following summary of assignments are listed on her record card:
Base Assignments
| Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 01/01/1945 | Columbia AAF, SC | 329 Base Unit |
| 02/01/1945 | Columbia AAF, SC | 129 Base Unit |
| 03/24/1945 | Greenville AAF, MS | 128 Base Unit |
| 02/10/1946 | Grenier AAF, NH | 1128 Base Unit |
| 10/24/1946 | MacDill Field, FL | 326 Base Unit |
| 03/30/1947 | Patterson AFB, OH | 4000 Base Unit |
| 07/26/1948 | Wright-Patterson AFB, OH | 2750 Air Base Wing CB-25J |
| 03/05/1951 | Brookley AFB, AL | Maintenance |
| 05/20/1951 | Wright-Patterson AFB, OH | 2750 Air Base Wing |
| 04/30/1954 | Birmingham, AL | Maintenance to TB-25N |
| 07/07/1954 | Wright-Patterson AFB, OH | 2750 Air Base Wing |
| 12/1957 | Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ | Storage |
| 04/1958 | Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ | Surplus |
Sold surplus in the summer of l958 she was acquired by Maricopa Dust and Spray Company for planned conversion into an aerial sprayer. Before any conversion work was performed she was sold to a new owner in Florida. She was later flown to Michigan and Indiana for modifications. Although flown on occasion between 1961-1967 she was not extensively used. She was re-registered as N17666 in 1967. She languished at New Albany, Ohio for 8 years until Earl Rinehart acquired her for his Victory Air Museum at Mundelien, Illinois in 1974. Continued deterioration due to exposure was the fate of 44-30243 as she was left on outside display until l988. At that time she was acquired by Tom Reilly and trucked to Kissimmee, Florida. She sat idle as a parts source at the Reilly restoration facility until 1991 when she was obtained by Darrel Greenameyer who restored her in 1992 and traded her to the Marine Corps for display. She was intended for display at a newly planned aviation museum at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The aircraft was stored at Quantico, Virginia pending the opening of the Cherry Point museum but the museum never developed. In 1995 she was loaned by the Marine Corps Air Museum to the National B-25 Preservation Group in Pampa, Texas. She was the only B-25 preserved with the Marine mounted nose radar which was made of fiberglass for the display. After six years in Pampa, Texas she was transferred to the Pendleton Air Base Museum in Oregon for display. Pendleton was home to the first B-25 unit, the 17th Bombardment Group in 1941. From this group came the volunteers for the Doolittle Raid in 1942. The aircraft was remade to resemble an early B-25 version for the museum.
- Model: B-25J-25-NC
- Serial Number: 44-30243
- NAA Mfg. Number: 108-33518
- FAA Registration: N17666
- Mfg. Plant: Fairfax - Kansas City, Kansas
- Completion Date: December 22, 1944
- Delivery Date: December 27, 1944
- Status: Static
- Owner: Pendleton Army Airfield
- Location: Pendleton, Oregon
- Website:
- Notable info:
Photos
This page represents the most current information we have on this aircraft. The information above was last updated 09/2020 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.