A fixture at Ione for many years has been Douglas B-23 Dragon N747. An ex Howard Hughes aircraft (registered NR49548 when in his ownership) it has recently been acquired by collector Jim Slattery and Sanders Aeronautics are returning it to airworthy condition.

Douglas proposed a number of modifications designed to improve performance of the B-18 initially was considered a new redesign, the XB-22 which featured 1,600 hp Wright R-2600-1 radials. Essentially a complete B-18 redesign was considered promising enough by the USAAC to alter the original contract to produce the last 38 B-18As ordered under Contract AC9977 as the B-23. The design incorporated a larger wingspan with a wing design very similar to that of the Douglas DC-3, a fully retractable undercarriage, and increased defensive armament. Notably, the B-23 was the first operational US bomber equipped with a glazed tail gun position.

The B-23 flew on 27 July 1939 with the production series of 38 B-23s manufactured between July 1939 and September 1940.

While significantly faster and better armed than the B-18, the B-23 was not comparable to newer medium bombers like the North American B-25 Mitchell and Martin B-26 Marauder. For this reason, the 38 B-23s built were never used in combat overseas, although for a brief period, they were employed as patrol aircraft stationed on the west coast of the United States. The B-23s were summarily relegated to other duties primarily training although 18 of the type were converted into transport versions as the UC-67.

Another role for the B-23 was to serve as a test-bed for new engines and systems. The B-23's tall vertical tail was adapted by Ford for use on the B-24 Liberator and resulted in increased performance, but it was never adopted for production. The modification later became standard on the Navy's PB4Y Privateer, which was derived from the Liberator.

Following the end of World War II many surplus B-23s and UC-67s were acquired by civil operators for conversion as corporate aircraft. The majority were modified by Pan American's Engineering Department to accommodate a crew of two, a new and longer metal nose, full washroom facilities, plus accommodations for twelve passengers in two compartments.

Howard Hughes converted this B-23 for use as his personal aircraft and other examples were used for executive transportation. Some of them remained in civil use for about 30 years.

Photo Gallery