Article 11397 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: Bomber Series--North American B-25 Mitchell (11 of 32)
Message-ID: <D2xrn5.F5s@ssbunews.ih.att.com>
Summary: XB-25E
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Date: Wed, 25 Jan 1995 00:49:53 GMT
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The XB-25E was a standard production B-25C-10 (serial number 42-32281) 
modified for anti-icing research.  The carburetor air intake duct was 
faired internally into the top of the cowling and an anti-icing air 
intake was mounted at the bottom.  Each row of cylinders exhausted 
through a separate exchanger, one ported outboard and one inboard of 
each nacelle.  Ram air from the lower cowling duct was routed 
underneath the engine to a split duct, each side of which was directed 
to one of the heat exchangers.  Air admitted to these heat exchangers 
was directed through a series of gates that allowed diversion of 
heated air either to the anti-icing system or out the exhaust.  A 
complex system of ducting led the hot air to the outer wing leading 
edges and also into the fuselage and to the leading edges of the tail.  
It was intended that the temperature of the hot air would be 
sufficiently high that ice on the wing leading edge surfaces would be 
vaporized rather than melted, which would have prevented water from 
flowing aft and then freezing again on flaps and ailerons.  

The airplane was completed early in 1944 and first flown on February 4 
by test pilot Joe Barton.  The heated wing system did do an effective 
job of de-icing, but it proved to be very costly and was not adopted 
for production.  Conventional de-icing boots continued in general use.  

Most of the airplane was eventually scrapped, but the forward section, 
complete with the nose art, is now with the Confederate Air Force at 
Midland, Texas.  

Sources:

   B-25 Mitchell: The Magnificent Medium, N. L. Avery, Phalanx, 1992.

   Medium with the Mostest--The B-25 Mitchell, Jerry Scutts,
   Air International, Vol. 44, Nos 2 and 3, 1993.

   Boston, Mitchell, and Liberator in Australian Service, Stewart
   Wilson, Aerospace Publications, 1992.

   Famous Bombers of the Second World War, William Green, Doubleday,
   1959.

   North American's Flying Gun--The Story of the B-25 From Paper
   Airplane to Legendary Bomber, Jack Dean, Wings, Vol 23 No 4, 1993.

   United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough
   and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

   North American B-25A-G Mitchell, Aircraft in Profile, Doubleday, 
   1966.

   Jane's American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th Century, Michael J.
   H. Taylor.

Joe Baugher			  **************************************
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