We take to the skies in the 'Maid in the Shade' | Community Spirit

Thanks to our presence in the shade of Boeing Co., a person can't really live in Western Washington without knowing somebody who knows something about airplanes.

For me, that person is my dad - he went from aerospace reporter to Boeing communicator and basically spent most of my childhood reporting on or talking about airplanes. This meant a lot of home-viewings of The Right Stuff and Memphis Belle, and my dad and younger brother being able to pick out 737s from 777s as they flew overhead while I stared blankly into the sky.

So when the opportunity popped up to drastically up my aero-cred and take a ride in a restored World War II bomber with an actual combat record, you can imagine that I jumped at it.

I joined a handful of media representatives (including three cohorts from KOMO News) and airplane enthusiasts at the Tacoma Narrows Airport Friday morning for a preview ride on the B-25 Maid in the Shade. The plane and her crew are in town for this weekend's Freedom Fair and will be available for viewing and tours at Sunday's Wings and Wheels event as well as on display during the fair's annual airshow July 4.

The website of the Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force offers some historical context:

Named after Gen. Billy Mitchell, the Army Air Corps' most famous figure of the 1920s and 1930s, the North American TB-25N proved to be one of the best American weapons of World War II. The TB-25N Mitchell, a twin-engine bomber that became standard equipment for the Allied Air Forces in World War II, was perhaps the most versatile aircraft of the war. It became the most heavily armed airplane in the world, was used for high-and low-level bombing, strafing, photo reconnaissance, submarine patrol and even as a fighter, and was distinguished as the aircraft that completed the historic raid over Tokyo in 1942. Subsequently, it saw duty in every combat area being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to our own U.S. forces. Although the airplane was originally intended for level bombing from medium altitudes, it was used extensively in the Pacific area for bombing Japanese airfields from treetop level and for strafing and skip bombing enemy shipping. 

More than 9,800 B-25s were built during WW II. Basically, it was a twin-tail, mid-wing land monoplane powered by two 1,700-hp Wright Cyclone engines. Normal bomb capacity was 5,000 pounds. Some versions carried 75 mm cannon, machine guns and added firepower of 13 .50-caliber guns in the conventional bombardier's compartment. One version carried eight .50-caliber guns in the nose in an arrangement that provided 14 forward-firing guns. 

The B-25 Maid in the Shade is the only Arizona Wing plane that has a known combat record. During World War II in late 1944 this aircraft flew out of Serraggia Airbase on the east coast of Corsica. It was with the 57th Bomb Wing, 391st Bomb Group, 437th Squadron where it was assigned Battle Number 18. It flew 15 bombing missions over Italy. This plane was manufactured at the North American Aviation plant in Kansas City and delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force on June 9, 1944. It then was flown to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia on June 24 then onto Morrison Field, Florida where it was readied for deployment to the Mediterranean Theatre of Operation.

On July 7, 1944, this aircraft departed Morrison Field and followed the southern route through Brazil, then across the Atlantic to Africa where it was delivered to the 3rd Air Facility Depot. Later that fall it was picked up by the 319th Bomb Group, 437th Squadron at Serraggia Airbase, Corsica. There it was assigned Battle Number 18. The plane then proceeded to fly 15 combat missions over Italy between November 4 and December 31, 1944. The majority of the targets were railroad bridges.

I arrived at the airport at 11 a.m. as directed to sign waivers and take a tour of the plane on the ground. I was promptly ridiculed for my decision to wear four-inch heels, but hey, when have I ever been known for my appropriate choices in footwear?

Shoes on the ground, I clambered barefoot up through the belly of the Maid. First observation: not a lot of room in these old bombers. A small ladder near the front of the plane takes you through a trap door to the back of the cockpit. A tiny tunnel that begins near the trap door leads forward into the nose. The rest of the group loaded into the rear of the plane, accessible only through another cozy tunnel, and we were off.

Observation two: these old bombers are loud. I dutifully inserted the earplugs I was handed upon boarding, but wasn't quite sure why. Five or so minutes later I was gesturing at my ears with one hand, giving a thumbs-up with the other and mouthing "THANK YOU" to the crewmember who'd gifted them to me.

Take-off was exhilirating. Most of us have spent a fair amount of time in flight, but there's something about feeling every little bump and dip that feels so much more real than the (relatively) smooth ride you experience on a jetliner.

We flew a giant loop from Gig Harbor, over Tacoma and Puyallup and back again, wind whipping through the cabin from the open windows, and the views spectacular.

I only enjoyed one brief moment of wanting to hurl, as I crawled back through the tunnel from a mid-flight visit to the nose of the Maid - best three minutes of the entire flight.

Rides on the Maid are available for purchase, but if you don't have a spare $425, check out our photo album here or go see her in person this weekend. If you come out for the airshow, make sure you swing by the KOMO booth and say hello.

I shot some video from the nose as well, but would like to avoid making you as ill as I felt wriggling through that tunnel. Instead, tune into KOMO 4 News later this evening for some (hopefully) smoother footage.