Photo Library

This picture is © Jay Sherlock Collection and may not be used or published without permission.

Registration: 44-41986

Construction Number: 5922

Model Consolidated B-24M Liberator

Operator: US Army Air Force

Airport: Air-to-Air - Ohio, USA

Photographer: Jay Sherlock Collection

Date Taken: 1946

Date Submitted: 12/06/2025

The aircraft was assigned to NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) for use in aircraft icing research, which was being conducted by NACA’s Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory at Lewis Field, Ohio. In this configuration, the B-24M was used in an early study of ice buildup on jet engines. A General Electric I-16 engine was installed in the aircraft's waist compartment in 1946, with the exhaust pipe extending out of the aircraft’s tail cone. The air scoop on the top of the aircraft ducted cold external air to the engine inside. Water spray nozzles in front of the intake simulated icing conditions at the turbojet's intake. NACA photo, from NASA historical archives.

Picture ID:1941245

Correct or Update this entry