NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an example of the power of American manufacturing during World War II.
Consolidated received an initial order for the B-24 Liberator from the U. S. government on March 30, 1939 and the first one rolled off their assembly line just eight months later.
Manufacturing went into high gear after the war began, with a total production of over 19,000 aircraft. At the height of production, one aircraft rolled off of the assembly line every 63 minutes.
More B-24 Liberator aircraft were produced than any other bomber in the world.
Unique to a heavy bomber at the time was a tricycle landing gear. The high aspect ratio wing aided speed and maneuverability at a cost of maximum altitude.
This put the heavy bomber into range of more anti aircraft fire than higher flying bombers. The wing design originated from their sea planes produced by Consolidated.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator saw its first combat in September of 1942 in the European theatre when assigned to the Eighth Air Force.
Eventually about 3,800 of the aircraft would be assigned to the group. By the end of the war, over 1,200 would be downed over enemy territory.
In addition to its use as a heavy bomber, the four engine aircraft was also used for antisubmarine warfare, where it was recognized for its long range offensive abilities.
The British Coastal Command took its first deliveries in 1941 when they operated against German U-boats.
A single tail version of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator was used by the United States Navy during World War II.
B-24 Specifications
Primary Function:
US$ Cost:
Crew:
Engine:
Power:
Length:
Wingspan:
Weight Empty:
Max Weight:
Machine Guns:
Bombs:
Cruise Speed:
Max. Speed:
Initial Climb:
Ceiling:
Range:
First Flight:
Year Deployed:
heavy bomber
$336,000
ten
P&W R-1830
4 x 1,200 hp ea.
67' 2"
110'
37,000 lbs.
65,000 lbs.
10- .50 cal.
8,000 lbs.
175 mph
290 mph
900 fpm
28,000 feet
2,850 miles
12/29/39
1941
Pictured above and immediately below is the fantastic rc B-24 Liberator built by Carl Bachhuber from modified Palmer Plans. It has a wing span of 165" and is powered by 4 x Saito .91 four stroke engines. The B-24 Liberator by Palmer Plans has a wing span of 110".
In the next picture below is the rc B-24 Liberator scratch built by Stephen Davies. He writes, "Attached is a photo of my scratch-built rc B-24 Liberator; modelled on the bird that my father flew into the history books in July 1945 leading 24 squadron RAAF supporting AIF landings at Balikpapen. Four speed 400 brushed motors geared 3:1. 2S LiPo 2000mAh battery plus separate Rx battery. Foam and brown paper. Retracts. Span 183 cm. (72")."
Precision Cut Kits will sell you the Don Smith Plans for a 1/9 scale rc B-24 Liberator seen in the next picture on this page.
The length is 89.5” and wing span is 146.5”. Recommended power comes from four .91 engines. Precision Cut Kits will also sell you a short wood kit or a full wood kit of the model.
If you are looking for another source of the rc B-24 Liberator from Don Smith Plans, you may want to check out Kit Cutters.
From time to time an already built rc B-24 Liberator from Jack Stafford Models will come up for sale on eBay or one of the rc airplane web sites.
They have a 90" wing span and recommended power of 4 x .20 - .39 engines.
There have been some recent posts about a rc B-24 Liberator radio control airplane conversion to electric motors on the RC Universe forum.
Pictured last below is the rc B-24 Liberator from a Jack Stafford kit. It has a wingspan of 90". A recent announcement on RC Universe said that Leisure RC Models is now selling the short kit.
If you have a favorite rc B-24 Liberator, please email us about it.
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
