Douglas B-18 Bolo - Aircraft On Display

Aircraft On Display

Only five B-18s still exist, preserved or under restoration in museums in the United States:

• B-18 Bolo, s/n 37-029, is on display at the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California. Dropped from USAAF inventory in 1944, it was registered as NC52056 in 1945, later to N52056. The B-18 was used by Avery Aviation and then Hawkins and Powers, as a firebomber, dropping borate for many years.

• B-18A Bolo, s/n 37-469, is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. One of the first production Bolos, was delivered to Wright Field in 1937 for evaluation testing. Sold as N56847, converted to crop sprayer; by May 1969 stored derelict at Tucson, AZ. It sat outdoors for many years before being restored to static display condition. This aircraft has an incorrect dorsal turret. The museum has been attempting to locate a correct turret for this aircraft for many years.

• B-18B Bolo, s/n 37-505, is under restoration at the McChord Air Museum, McChord AFB, Washington. Sold as N67947, then Mexican registration XB-JAJ. Acquired by Tucson Air Museum Foundation of Tucson, AZ and stored at Watsonville, CA. This was the last flyable B-18, making its final flight to Tucson on 10 April 1971. At Pima county Air Museum by Oct 1973, it was subsequently acquired by US Air Force Museum in 1981 and moved to Davis-Monthan for storage, then in 1983 put on display at McChord Air Museum (museum restricted to military personnel, unless visitor pass is acquired in advance.).

• B-18B Bolo, s/n 38-593, is on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum Tucson, Arizona. This Bolo spent the early part of WWII on anti-submarine patrol. In 1943 began use a light transport. She was retired and struck from the inventory in 1945. Was operated as a firebomber as N66267 1954–1970. In storage at Litchfield, AZ by September 1969, then delivered to Pima on 5 September 1976. The aircraft sat outside in the desert for many years before being restored and moved indoors for display. The aircraft is still equipped with antisubmarine search radar dome.

• B-18A Bolo, s/n 39-025, is on display at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum in Denver, Colorado. This Bolo spent WWII at several airfields as a bombardier trainer and as a light transport. It was dropped from inventory on 3 November 1944, and was later sold, acquiring the civil registry NC62477. It spent 14 years on the civil registry before going to Cuba in 1958. In November 1958 the aircraft was seized in Florida by US Treasury agents when it was hauling guns to Fidel Castro. In 1960 the aircraft was parked at Cannon AFB, until being presented to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. It flew to the Museum in April 1961. In 1988 the aircraft was transferred to the Wings Over The Rockies Aviation and Space Museum where it was restored though the 1990s. It is displayed there as 39-522.