N2871G —

Wow cool!

https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=16969

Talk about a vertical stabilizer! No wonder the B-24 had a twin tail.

After reading the data provided by Mark Harris, I realized that I saw this airplane parked at Graybull, Wy during one of our trips thru there in the late 1960's or 1970's. Surprising!

You need one hell of a ladder to change the tail nav light😂

Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

Such a dramatic photo!

As I remember, Hawkins & Powers had several PB4Y's set up as tankers operating out of Greybull, WY. I was co-pilot on Tanker 10, a Neptune P2V-7 when we made a fuel stop and low pass there and the Captain ran in to say hi to all his old buddies at H&P. Back in the day. . .

I’ve seen this airplane myself several times here in Arizona. It’s pretty neat to look at it up close!

Back in the early eighties I watched the tanker version lift off from the airport
at Laramie WY. It was fighting a fire nearby and had come in for retardant and fuel.
Upon liftoff it seemed like it took forever to gain any altitude as it lumbered down the valley.
Being a very warm day, fully loaded, and an elevation of 7200 above sea level all had a part in
it's slow climb out.

A WWII vet I knew in the Order of Daedalians flew these over the Pacific looking for down crewmembers. He received his training at Bunker Hill AFB, IN. He said he had the most boring job of the war; however, he helped save quite a few fliers floating on the Pacific. They would drop supplies and radio the down fliers position so the Catalinas could come and pick them out of the water. He also said, the PB4Y could fly faster and further with the single tall tail than the twins on the B-24.

Another very large tailed aircraft that I flew in is a C-7 Caribou

my CFI always said (and I quote) "rudder, rudder, rudder" WOW!!!!

The B-24 had twin tails because the Army did not want to build hangers all over WWII theaters of operation taller than the ones already there. And as much as their salient features look similar, (they did come from the same engineering team) PB4Ys and B-24s share few parts. The wings have slightly different ratios and the PB4Y airfoil has a sleeker chord for better laminar flow, and oh those engines! I don't think any B-24 ever got R-2600 Cyclones.

Airframe dossier updated March 2023 https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=16969

Woah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice!