Pilot Training Manual For The Mitchell Bomber -- B-25 E-Book

ARMY AIR FORCE U.S.

• Herausgeber: Edizioni Savine
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

This manual is the text for training as a B-25 pilot and airplane commander.
The manual serves the dual purpose of a training checklist and working handbook.
HISTORY OF THE MITCHELL BOMBER B-25
First Army airplane to sink an enemy sub.
First medium bomber to fly from a carrier deck.
First warplane to pack a 75-mm. cannon.
It all started when the Army asked for designs of a medium bomber to be submitted. That was on 25 January, 1939. Forty days later the B-25 was born!

Leseprobe

PUBLISHED FOR HEADQUARTERS, AAF OFFICE OF ASSISTANT CHIEF OF AIR STAFF, TRAINING

BY HEADQUARTERS, AAF, OFFICE OF FLYING SAFETY

Foreword

This manual is the text for your training as a B-25 pilot and airplane commander.

The Air Forces' most experienced training and supervisory personnel have collaborated to make it a complete exposition of what your pilot duties are, how each will be performed, and why it must be performed in the manner prescribed.

The techniques and procedures described in this book are standard and mandatory. In this respect the manual serves the dual purpose of a training checklist and working handbook. Use it to make sure that you learn everything described herein. Use it to study and review the essential facts concerning everything taught. Such additional self-study and review will not only advance your training, but will alleviate the burden of your already overburdened instructors.

This training manual does not replace the Technical Orders for the airplane, which will always be your primary source of information concerning the B-25 so long as you fly it. This is essentially the textbook of the B-25. Used properly, it will enable you to utilize the pertinent Technical Orders to even greater advantage.

HISTORY OF THE MITCHELL BOMBER B-25

Welcome to the Mitchell bomber!

You are going to fly a champ with a long line of firsts to her credit!

First to see action on every fighting front.

First Army airplane to sink an enemy sub.

First medium bomber to fly from a carrier deck.

First warplane to pack a 75-mm. cannon.

It all started when the Army asked for designs of a medium bomber to be submitted. That was on 25 January, 1939. Forty days later the B-25 was born!

Daughter of a slide rule, with neither wind-tunnel tests nor prototypes to study, the performance of the B-25 was a series of figures on an engineer’s drawing board.

Yet, 19 days after Hitler marched into Poland, in September, 1939, the Army awarded the North American Aviation Company a contract for 148 Mitchell bombers, one of the largest orders written up to that time.

In less than 2 months, following a number of modifications, the mock-up was approved. Exhaustive tests by Army engineers followed, and in August, 1940, the first B-25 was test-flown and its performance found to be better than the claims its designers had made for it.

Since that time, hundreds of changes in design have been made, but the general appearance of all models of the B-25 has not changed.

Designed to carry a bomb load of 3500 lb. and a crew of 5, it has operated efficiently with heavier bomb loads and a crew of 6. Early in the war, when it was engaged in emergency evacuation work, the B-25 carried 26 men and their baggage a distance of 700 miles. On one occasion it carried 32 men and their baggage with auxiliary and main fuel cells full.

Red-lined at 340 mph, cruising easily at 200 mph, the Mitchell, when emergencies have arisen, has exceeded 340 mph, with no disastrous effects.

Its low landing speed has been a boon to flyers who have had to operate from jungle strips and airfields blasted from mountain sides.

Combat experience led to changes in design and armament — more firepower, spare fuel tanks, power-driven turrets, and larger escape hatches, which were added to meet the need for quick exit from a damaged plane.

In April, 1942, the Mitchell made history. Under the leadership of Brigadier General Ralph Royce and Colonel John Davies, 13 B-25's set out from an unidentified base for the island of Mindanao, 2000 miles away. On this, the longest bombing expedition in the history of aerial warfare, the planes flew 2000 miles to a secret base where a store of gasoline was hidden. For 2 days they hit the Japs who were advancing on Bataan, then headed for home without loss.

Less than a week later came the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, with 16 B-25’s taking off from the deck of the aircraft carrier Hornet. It can now be told that the tail guns in the B-25’s on that raid were painted broomsticks which Major General Doolittle ordered installed after learning that Jap pilots had been ordered to stay out of range of the American tail-stingers. During the early days of the submarine menace, B-25’s were equipped with special wing bomb racks, operating successfullv in the submarine hunt and again proving their versatility and capacity for modification.

Arctic operation meant new problems in heating and defrosting for the B-25. They were overcome. Long over-water hops, with hours of precision instrument flying, brought the installation of the automatic pilot, taking the strain off our flyers. For action against the Jap navy, torpedo racks were installed. A multitude of combat problems found the B-25 ready for adaptation to meet them, its most recent and spectacular adaptation being the installation of the 75-mm. cannon in the B-25 G and B-25 H.

The use of the B-25 as a low-altitude attack plane led to the removal of the lower turret. It was replaced by ,50-caI. waist guns and a power-operated tail turret. For more effective defense, the upper turret was moved forward.

Package guns—two ,50-cal, mounted on each side of the fuselage and firing forward—plus four ,50-cal. installed in the nose above the cannon, have transformed the B-25 into a flying machine-gun company, superbly effective for strafing.

The evolution of the Mitchell bomber does not end here. Every day, as experience mounts and new tactics develop, the B-25 proves its versatility, ready to run with the hare or hunt with the hounds—an airplane of which its pilots may well say: It does the job!

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AIRPLANE COMMANDER

The commander of the B-25 must be more fhan a pilot. As his title Implies, he must be a leader of men—a leader in a special sense. He must not train his crew as automatons, but as a team which will use initiative and perform its tasks to one end only . . . the success of the mission.

You are the leader. The successful coordination of the work involved in getting your plane to its objective and back to its base depends a great deal on the way in which you lead.

When you are thoroughly familiar with the jobs the members of your crew are doing, you’ve won half the battle of being the commander of your airplane.

The second half of the battle consists in knowing your men as individuals as well as members of the crew. Do you know where your tail gunner was born? Is your crew chief married? What work was your navigator doing before he got in the Army? How does your bombardier like his job on the B-25?

Naturally, you don't ask these questions of your crew as if you were a desk sergeant at the night court. If you're going about things the

right way, you may never have to ask. Your men will volunteer the information. Men always talk about themselves when they’re fairly sure their listener is really interested.

They’ll know whether you’re interested if you look out for their comfort on flights and between flights. If you’re away from base overnight, you may find it necessary to finance one crew member or another. Be sure that every crew member is properly fed, quartered, and clothed. The manner in which you take care of their needs will make or mar your reputation with your crew.

You need a lot of tact in handling these things. Your best rule of thumb for getting to know and take care of your crew should go something like this: “Is my interest in the crew getting the best out of them for the teamwork I need to fly my plane?” But be sure you don’t overdo it. Your tail gunner isn’t going to be too happy if you tell him that his crap-shooting is blistering his trigger finger. But you’re not overdoing it if you pull a plate of gas-forming food out from under his hungry eyes just before a high-altitude mission.

Crew Discipline

Discipline in an air crew means that you are commanding respcct and getting your orders obeyed. It also means that a lot of the time you’re not finding it necessary to give orders at all. Your crew members are performing their duties without having to be told,

A good way to develop the jitters about your plane and your crew is by keeping them at a distance, talking to them pompously, and by showing favoritism or uncertainty in your decisions.

On the other hand, you won’t get discipline by dropping all distinctions between commander and crew and letting the waist gunner call you Joe.

Somewhere between these two methods there is a happy medium which will insure that any order you give will bring instant obedience and maintain respect and mutual confidence.

You can be friendly without becoming fa-miliar, understanding without becoming a father-confessor, and firm without emulating Simon Legree. Give direct orders only when there is a need for orders. Once you issue on order, see that it is always obeyed.

Ready for Action

Are your guns working? The only way you can be sure is to know how competent and reliable your gunners are. It is disastrous to get caught by a swarm of enemy fighters and find that your guns won't function.

What about your navigator? Does he know his job well enough to get you over that pinpoint target a thousand miles from any visible fix?

Is your bombardier sure that his equipment is in perfect condition? Has he remembered to warm up his bombsight to prevent fogging at the critical moment?

You can’t know the precise answers to all the questions involved in having your plane ready for action—but you can know most of the important questions. Learn enough about every man’s job so that you can ask the right questions, and you’ll find that your crew will be there with the right answers at the right time.

PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

1.    Can all members of your crew fly at high altitudes without discomfort or physical handicap?

2.    Does any member of your crew get airsick?

3.    Can the copilot take over in emergency?

4.    Does the radio operator understand D.F. aids?

5.    Do the gunners know how to unload and stow their guns?

6.    Do the engineer and the copilot (and do you) know how to use the load adjuster and how to load the airplane properly?

7.    Do the engineer and copilot (and do you) use the control charts to check your power settings and the efficient performance of your airplane?

8.    Does your crew know emergency procedure and signals?

9.    Is each member of your crew properly equipped?

10.    What can you do to prevent or relieve anoxia, air sickness, and fatigue?

11.    Is your crew familiar with first-aid treatment ?

12.    Can you improve the morale of your crew?

These are some of the practical questions which you as airplane commander must be able to answer.

The copilot is the executive officer—your chief assistant, understudy, and strong right arm. He must be familiar enough with every one of your duties—both as pilot and as airplane commander—to take over and act in your place at any time.

He must be able to fly the airplane under all conditions as well as you would fly it yourself.

He must be proficient in engine operation and know instinctively what to do to keep the airplane flying smoothly, even though he is not handling the controls.

He must have a thorough knowledge of cruising control data and know how to apply his knowledge at the proper time.

He is also the engineering officer aboard the airplane, and maintains a complete log of performance data.

He must be able to fly good formation in any assigned position, day or night.

He must be qualified to navigate by day or at night by pilotage, dead reckoning, and by use of radio aids.

He must be proficient in the operation of all radio equipment in the pilot’s compartment.

In formation flying, he must be able to make engine adjustments almost automatically.

He must be prepared to assist on instruments when the formation is climbing through an overcast, so you can watch the rest of the formation.

Remember that the more proficient your copilot is as a pilot, the better able he is to perform the duties of the vital post he holds as your second in command.

Be sure that he is always allowed to do his share of the flying, in the copilot's seat, on takeoffs, landings, and on instruments.

THE COPILOT

Bear in mind that the pilot in the right-hand seat of your airplane is preparing himself for an airplane commander’s post too. Allow him every chance to develop his ability and to profit by your experience.

THE BOMBARDIER NAVIGATOR

As a navigator it is the bombardier-navigator’s job to direct your flight from departure to destination and return. He must know the exact position of the airplane at all times. For you to understand how to get the most reliable service from your navigator, you must know as much about his job as possible.

Navigation is the art of determining geographic positions by means of (a) pilotage, (b) dead reckoning, (c) radio, or (d) celestial navigation, or any combination of these four methods. By any one or combination of methods the navigator determines the position of the airplane in relation to the earth.

Instrument Calibration

Instrument calibration is an important duty of the navigator. All navigation depends directly on the accuracy of his instruments. Correct

calibration requires close cooperation and extremely careful flying by the pilot. Instruments to be calibrated include the altimeter, all compasses, airspeed indicators, alignment of the astrocompass, astrograph, and drift meter, and a check on the navigator’s sextant and watch.

Pilot-Navigator Preflight Planning

1.    Pilot and navigator must study the flight plan of the route to be flown, and select alternate airfields.

2.    Study the weather with the navigator. Know what weather you are likely to encounter. Decide what action is to be taken. Know the weather conditions at the alternate fields.

3.    Inform your navigator at what airspeed and altitude you wish to fly so that he can prepare his flight plan.

4.    Learn what type of navigation the navigator intends to use: pilotage, dead reckoning, radio, celestial, or a combination of all methods.

5.    Determine check points; plan to make radio fixes.

fi. Work out an effective communication method with your navigator to be used in flight.

7. Synchronize your watch with your navigator’s.

Pilot-Navigator in Flight

1.    Constant course—For accurate navigation you must fly a constant course. The navigator has to make many computations and entries in his log. Constantly changing course makes his job more difficult. A good navigator should be able to follow the pilot, but he cannot be taking compass readings all the time,

2.    Constant airspeed—Hold IAS as nearly constant as possible. This is as important to the navigator as is a constant course in determining position.

3.    Precision flying greatly affects the accuracy of the navigator’s instrument readings, particularly celestial readings. A slight error in celestial reading causes considerable error in determining position. You can help the navigator by providing as steady a platform as possible from which to take readings. The navigator should notify you when he intends to take readings so that you can level off and fly as smoothly as possible, preferably by using the automatic pilot. Do not allow your navigator to be disturbed while he is taking celestial readings,

4.    Notify the navigator of any change in flight, such as change in altitude, course, or airspeed. Before you change your flight plan, consult the navigator. Talk over the proposed change so that he can plan the flight and advise you concerning it.

5.    If there is doubt about the position of the airplane, consult your navigator, refer to his flight log, talk the problem over and decide together the best course of action.

6.    Check your compasses at intervals with those of the navigator, noting any deviation.

7.    Require your navigator to give position reports at intervals.

8.    You are ultimately responsible for getting the airplane to its destination. Therefore, it is your duty to know your position at all times.

9.    Encourage your navigator to use as many of the methods of navigation as possible for double-checking. In training, give him a chance to practice. Follow his courses even though you know he is wrong. Keep track of the plane’s position but allow him to rectify his errors.

Post-ftight Critique

After every flight, get together with the navigator and discuss the flight and compare notes.

Go over the navigator’s log. If there have been serious navigational errors, discuss them with the navigator and determine their cause. If the navigator is at fault, caution him that it is his job to see that the same mistake does not occur again. If faulty instruments have caused the error, see that they are corrected before attempting another navigation mission. If your flying has contributed to the inaccuracy of the navigation, try to fly a better course the next mission.

Miscellaneous Duties

As a member of the team, the bomba rdier-navigator must also have a general knowledge of the entire operation of the airplane.

He must be familiar with the oxygen system, know how to operate the turrets, radio equipment, and fuel transfer system.

He must know the location of all fuses and

spare fuses, lights and spare lights, affecting navigation.

He must be familiar with emergency procedures, such as the manual operation of landing gear, bomb bay doors, and flaps, and the proper procedures for crash landings, ditching, bailout, etc.

Bombardment

Accurate and effective bombing is the ultimate purpose of your entire airplane and crew.

Every other function is preparatory to hitting and destroying the target.

Successful bombardment is the primary goal of the bombardier-navigator. The success or failure of the mission depends upon what he accomplishes in that short interval of the bombing run.

A great deal depends on the understanding between bomba rdier-navigator and pilot. You expect your bombardier to know his job. He expects you to understand the problems involved in his job, and to give him full cooperation. Teamwork between pilot and bombardier is essential.

Under any given set of conditions—ground speed, altitude, direction, etc.—there is only one point in space where a bomb may be released from the airplane to hit a predetermined object on the ground.

There are many things with which a bombardier must be thoroughly familiar in order to release his bombs at the right point to hit this predetermined target.

He must understand his bombsight, what it does, and how it does it.

He must understand the operation and upkeep of his bombing instruments and equipment.

He must know that his racks, switches, controls, releases, doors, linkage, etc., are in first-class operating condition.

He must know how to operate all gun positions in the airplane.

He must know how to load and how to clear simple gun stoppages and jams while in flight.

He must be able to load and fuse bombs.

He must understand the destructive power of bombs and know the vulnerable spots on various types of targets.

He must understand the bombing problem, bombing probabilities, bombing errors, ctc.

He must be versed in target identification and in aircraft identification.

The bombardier should be familiar with the duties of all members of the crew.

To enable the bombardier to do his job, you must place the airplane in the proper position to arrive at a point from which he can release his bombs to hit the target.

RADIO OPERATOR

There is a lot of radio equipment in today's B-25’s. There is one particular man who is supposed to know all there is to know about this equipment. Sometimes he does, but often he doesn’t. His deficiencies often do not become apparent until the crew is in the combat zone when it is too late. Too often pilots and crews lose their lives because the radio operator has accepted his responsibility indifferently.

It is impossible to learn radio in a day. It is imperative that you check your radio operator's ability to handle his job before taking him overseas as part of your crew. To do this you may have to check with the various instructors to find out any weakness in the radio operator’s training and proficiency and to help overcome such weaknesses.

The radio operator is required to:

1.    Render position reports every 30 minutes.

2.    Assist the navigator in taking fixes.

3.    Keep the liaison and command sets properly tuned and in good operating order.

4.    Understand from an operational point of view:

(a)    Instrument Landing

(b)    IFF

(c)    VHF

and other navigational aids.

5.    Maintain a log.

In addition to being radio operator, the radio man is also a gunner. During combat he leaves his watch at the radio and takes up his guns. He often has to learn photography. Some of the best pictures taken in the Southwest Pacific were taken by radio operators.

THE ENGINEER

Size up the man who is to be your engineer. This man should know more about the airplane you are to fly than any other member of the crew. If there are deficiencies in his training you may be able to fill them in.

Think back on your own training. In many courses of instruction, you had a lot of things thrown at you from right and left. You had to concentrate on how to fly; where your equipment was concerned, you learned to rely more and more on the enlisted men, particularly the crew chief and the engineer, for advice.

Pilot and engineer must work closely together to supplement and fill in the blank spaces in each other's education.

To be a qualified combat engineer, a man must know his airplane, his engines, and his armament equipment thoroughly.

He must work closely with the copilot, checking engine operation, fuel consumption, and the operation of all equipment.

He must be able to work with the bombardier, and know how to cock, lock, and load the bomb racks. It is up to you to see that he is familiar with these duties and, if he is hazy concerning them, to have the bombardier give him special help and instruction.

He should have a general knowledge of radio equipment, and be able to assist in tuning transmitters and receivers.

Your engineer should be your chief source of information about the airplane. He should know more about the equipment than any other member of the crew—yourself included.

You, in turn, are his source of information about flying. Bear this in mind in all your discussions with the engineer. The more complete you can make his knowledge of the reasons behind every function of the equipment, the more valuable he will be as a member of the crew. Someday his extra knowledge may save the day in an emergency.

Generally, in emergencies, the engineer is the man to whom you turn first. Build up his pride, his confidence, his knowledge. Know him personally; check on the extent of his knowledge. Make him a man upon whom you can rely.

THE GUNNERS

Your gunners belong to one of two distinct categories: turret gunners and flexible gunners.

The power turret gunners must have good coordination.

While the flexible gunners do not require the same delicate touch as the turret gunner, they must have a fine sense of timing.

All gunners should be familiar with the coverage area of all gun positions, and be prepared to bring the proper gun to bear on the target.

They must be experts in aircraft identification.

They must be thoroughly familiar with the machine guns. They should know how to maintain the guns, how to clear jams and stoppages, and how to harmonize the sights with the guns.

During training flights, the gunners should be in their turrets, tracking with the guns even when actual firing is not practicable. Other aircraft flying in the vicinity offer excellent tracking targets, as do automobiles, houses, and other ground objects during low-altitude flights.

Keep your gunners’ interest alive at all times. Any form of competition among the gunners themselves should stimulate their interest.

Finally, each gunner should fire the guns at each station to familiarize himself with the other positions.

RULES TO BE ENFORCED ON EVERY FLIGHT

Smoking

1.    No smoking in airplane at an altitude below 1000 feet.

2.    No smoking during fuel transfer.

3.    Never attempt to throw a lighted cigarette from the airplane. Put it out first.

Parachutes

1.    All persons aboard will wear parachute harness at all times from takeoff to landing.

2.    Each person aboard will have a parachute on every flight.

3.    Carry at least one spare parachute in the plane.

Propellers

1,    Always enter and leave the plane to and from the rear.

2.    No person will leave the airplane when propellers are turning unless ordered to do so by the airplane commander.

Oxygen Masks

1.    Oxygen masks will be carried on all flights where altitude may exceed 10,000 feet.

2.    Day: All persons will use oxygen starting at 7000 to 10,000 feet on all day flights where altitude at any time may exceed 12,000 feet.

3.    Use oxygen for all flights at 8000 ft. or above when the duration of the flight may exceed 4 hours.

4.    Night: All persons will use oxygen from the ground up on all flights during which altitude may reach 10,000 feet.

Training

1.    Tell your crew the purpose of each mission and what you expect each to accomplish.

2.    Keep the crew busy throughout the flight. Get position reports from the navigator; send them out through the radio operator. Put the engineer to work on the cruise control and maximum range charts. Require the copilot to keep a record of engine performance. Give them a workout. Encourage them to use their skill. A team is an active outfit. Make the most of every practice mission.

3.    Practice all emergency procedures as often as possible—bailout, ditching and fire drill.

Inspections

1.    Check your airplane with reference to the particular mission you are undertaking. Check everything.

2.    Check your crew for equipment, preparedness, and understanding of what you expect from them.

Interphone

1.    Assure yourself that all members of the crew are standing by their interphones at all times. Insist on clear, well-controlled voices. Speak slowly and clearly.

2.    Require reports by interphone every 15 minutes from all crew members when on oxygen.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Mitchell medium bomber is a high-speed, mid-wing land monoplane. Positive dihedral in the inner and negative dihedral in the outer wing panels give the plane a gull-wing appearance, while adding control and maneuverability. A twin tail section with large rudders increases stability and maneuverability and allows a greater concentration of firepower to the rear.

A tricycle landing gear adds to the ease of landing, prevents groundlooping, and provides the pilot with maximum visibility during ground operation. It also permits a wide range of loading to obtain maximum bomb and weight carrying capacity.

Under slung Wright Cyclone engines drive Hamilton hydromatic propellers and deliver 1700 Hp each at full power.

The fuselage is a semi-monocoque, four-longeron, stressed skin structure. The bombardier's, pilot’s, and navigator’s compartments are located in that order, forward of the bomb bay. The radio operator’s, gunner’s, and photographer’s compartments are located in that order aft of the bomb bay.

Each engine has individual self-sealing fuel and oil systems. Fuel transfer systems allow extra fuel, carried in fuselage tanks, to be transfered to the main system. There is a crossfeed in the fuel system for emergency operations.

Two 24-volt batteries supply electric power for starting and initial operation. Two generators recharge the batteries and supply power when engine speed permits their operation. Each engine has a dual-ignition system.

The B-25 has standard communication and bombardment equipment. Its armament is varied but follows AAF standards. Models of the plane have been converted for varying tactical needs by the addition of ,50-cal. machine guns and the 75-mm. cannon.

There are electrically driven power turrets on some models and a hydraulically driven tail turret on others.

The plane has standard lighting, heating and hydraulic systems.

LOCATION OF CONTROLS B-25C and D