Page 17 - October21T_REV

Hola Panchito
Larry Kelly’s North American B-25J is one of about 36 “Mitchell” bombers currently flying. It was delivered to the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) in late 1944 and served in various roles until it went into storage in 1958. It was sold to its first civilian owner in 1959 and was used as a fire bomber in Arizona and a citrus grove sprayer in Florida.
In 1986, it was christened “Panchito” after it went through a meticulous restoration at Tom Reilly Vintage Aircraft’s “Bombertown” in Kissimmee, Florida.
Regarding the aircraft’s name, Panchito Pistoles was one of the “Three Caballeros,” an animated movie from Walt Disney that came out in 1944. The three owners of the rebuilt B-25 chose the name to honor Bob Miller, the pastor at their church in Texas. He had been the tail gunner on the original Panchito B-25 in WWII.
“Well, it’s not really a test, but there are 60 questions that students need to answer to prepare for the course,” Kipp explained. “Many are not familiar with this type of training, and we want them to be familiar with the various aircraft systems. The questions just show them all that is contained in the manual.”
Kipp said that while there is no “grading” for the quiz, it does give her an idea about where the student stands as they begin the one-day ground school. “We begin our ground school at 7:30, and it goes until 5:30 or so,” she said. “We take time to go into the hangar to see the systems on the aircraft and their operations.”
“The history of the B-25 is very important. We go through all of the various systems in detail – fuel and hydraulics, engines, landing gear – we cram a lot in,” Kelley added. “We have a big table full of cutaway parts to dem- onstrate how many of them work and what happens when they don’t. Know- ing that can make a big difference in how you handle an emergency.”
Kelley illustrated the importance of understanding the various systems’ workings by sharing a recent experi- ence with a new to the B-25 co-pilot on a night, IFR, flight from Florida to Delaware.
“We were cruising at 9,500 feet, and suddenly the oil pressure reading on
the right engine showed a low pres- sure indication. The right seat asked if we needed to cage the engine – that was his immediate response,” he said. “I asked if the oil temperature was okay. He said yes. But he still wanted to shut the engine down. If it’s not necessary, not a good idea at night in IFR conditions.”
Anyway, the cause of the issue turned out to be a faulty oil pressure transmitter and not a problem with the engine itself. Kelly’s knowledge of the aircraft’s systems helped keep a simple nuisance from becoming a life- threatening situation. That experience is why system knowledge is stressed so strongly throughout the program. Oh, and if you think you don’t have to pay attention and soak it all in, you’re mistaken. There’s a written test at the completion of the ground school. And if you fail, you don’t fly.
Success Starts With Your Feet
Kipp said that the majority of pilots taking the B-25 training come for the two-day SIC program, so we’ll follow that curriculum for the in-flight por- tion of our story.
On day two, students get their hands on Panchito – or perhaps it’s the other way around. While flying a B-25 may seem daunting to most of us, Kipp and Kelley both stress that it’s taxiing the beast that culls out the skilled from the not-so-very-much.
“Taxiing is the hardest part of han- dling the B-25. It has a free-castering nosewheel and can get away from you pretty quickly,” Kipp said. “You have to use your feet, throttles, and plan each movement well in advance to stay ahead of the airplane on the ground.”
Oh, and if you’re just figuring to use differential braking in tight spots, forget it. Kelley stressed that relying only on the brakes is a no-no. It’s really easy to overheat the old-style units. In fact, recently, another B-25 was nearly lost due to a brake fire.
Once you successfully make it to the end of the runway, the B-25’s run-up, although lengthy, is pretty typical. So, with everything where it is supposed to be, it’s time to fly.
October 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 15