question for a story

[fuego]

Hi all, I'm a writer in San diego and i have a question for an article i'm doing.



Were there any planes in WWII that could have flown all the way from California to Japan. Or did they have to stop in hawaii first?

Any help is much appreciated.

[Crazy]

Don't quote me, but I'm pretty sure that most planes couldn't make it even from Hawaii, and only a rare few could, but certainly couldn't make the return trip.



But then, didn't the bombers of the Doolittle raid have to dump their guns and replace them with broomsticks to save on weight? And they were taking off from a carrier much closer to Japan than Hawaii. They had to (crash)land in China



Also, I've moved this to the Aircraft Requests section. It fits that criteria a bit better

[fuego]

Okay, that basically confirms my suspisions. Thanks.

[ahanswurst]

The B-29 with additional ferry tanks could probably get to Okinawa which is a part of Japan. I think the crew would be due a promotion as the the B-29's engines were not 100% reliable. The engines had oil consumption problems and it would have be an interesting test. After the War when the WB-50's came out they often had "engine" problems and had to land in Hawaii to get these "problems" fixed before taking off and landing at Wake Island for refueling on their way to Japan. WB-50's were stationed out of Yokota AB Japan after the war and I have some color photos of the planes at Yokota in the late 1950's oh the smell of 115/145 octane aviation gas

[the lancaster kicks ass]

i think even modern planes couldn't make it without refueling............

[HammerDown]

Woo, Woo!!!! That reminds me! I just got back from the Smokey Mountains, they've got a Warbirds museum that I went to....and they have Doolittle's medal of honor!!!! I took pictures!! I'll scan them!!!! I'll host them!!!! I'll post them!!!!! Weeeee!!!!! Also got plenty of other pictures of WWII birds!!!! I can't believe I forgot about them!!!!

[HammerDown]

i think even modern planes couldn't make it without refueling............

But, then again, today we can refuel while in the air, so technically, we can fly from Cali to Japan without landing...

[Crazy]

I'll have to look around for the link, but i read an article somewhere about Finnish pilots who would take off at night, slip into soviet bomber formations, and fly with them all the way back to the soviet's homebase, even stay in landing pattern with them, then bomb it to peices and put pedal to the medal. By the time the soviets could react, all that was left was flaming wreckage. I might have even posted that here

[the lancaster kicks ass]

the lancaster kicks ass wrote:
i think even modern planes couldn't make it without refueling............


But, then again, today we can refuel while in the air, so technically, we can fly from Cali to Japan without landing...

i don't reacall ever mentioning landing..................

[ahanswurst]

I flew from Japan to the USA in a WC-135B We took off from Yokota AB Japan and had to refuel at Wake Island. From Wake we went to the USA and landed at Sacremento Californa for refueling. But the Boeing 747's probably flys nonstop form the USA to Japan without refueling. When we left Sacremento on the way to Tinker AFB OK. We were at 35,000 feet when a 747 passed over us at probably 50,000 feet going towards Seattle. I had my camera in the cockpit and I should have taken a picture of that 747. The flight engineer let me sit in his seat for most of the flight to Tinker. That was a blast.

[the lancaster kicks ass]

Boeing 747's probably flys nonstop form the USA to Japan without refueling.

it can make it there, but not back again without refueling..............

[GermansRGeniuses]

Boeing 747's probably flys nonstop form the USA to Japan without refueling.

it can make it there, but not back again without refueling..............

maybe if you turned the passenger cabin into a giant gas tank and filled the wings (as best you could) with gas it could make it, but then again, it would be so heavy, you would probably need like six more engines so toss that idea out of the window....