Saturday, May 13, 2023

Keystone B-3A. Early 1930s

 


2 comments:

  1. Did the pilots still drop the bombs over the side by hand?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It could carry four 600lb bombs, don’t think they were heaving those over the side by hand. :). Instead it had two bomb bays. And a crew of five.

      In November 1935 Mauna Loa erupted and by December its lava flows, moving a mile per day, threatened Hilo. Somebody came up with the idea of bombing the volcano to cut off the source of the lava. Just after Christmas five B-3As dropped twenty bombs near the cone/source of the flows. By 2 Jan 36 the flows had stopped, and the geologist overseeing the volcano declared the mission a success. Air power! The B-3A and the same design with upgraded engines, the B-6A, served until 1940.

      The officer who planned the mission was some lieutenant colonel named George Patton. Wonder whatever became of him?

      Delete