Naval Sea Cadet Corps Seaman Apprentice Aaron Sewell, 14, of Lakeside held the wheel of a 1947 Boeing C-97, while Daniel Mohr, 12, of Santee (left) and Navy League Cadet Corps Petty Officer Eric Wood, 13, of Santee reached for the instrument panels during a tour of the aircraft yesterday as part of the 13th annual Wings Over Gillespie Air Show in El Cajon.
“Often compared to its more famous partner, the Boeing B-17, the B-24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed, greater range and service ceiling yet it had a similar bombload and massive defensive armament. Nevertheless, popular opinion among aircrews and general staff tended to favor the B-17’s rugged qualities above all other considerations. Where the B-24 excelled over other contemporary World War II heavy bombers was in its versatility. Designed around a highly-efficient ‘Davis’ wing design, one of the B-24’s main virtues was a long operating range, which led to it also being used for other duties including maritime patrol (known as the PB4Y in US Navy service) and antisubmarine work, reconnaissance, tanker, cargo (where it was designated C-87 and C-109, and also developed into the Navy’s R2Y) and personnel transport. Winston Churchill used one as his own transport aircraft. One of the most valuable contributions to Allied victory was the use of the B-24 in combating the U-boat menace in the North Atlantic. When the ‘very-long-range’ Liberators were unleashed on the vulnerable submarines, a so-called ‘Atlantic Gap’ was ultimately closed, allowing Britain’s convoy lifeline to be maintained.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-24_Liberator