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Beechcraft JRB
When VRU-4, which became VR-24, was commissioned in 1946, its
initial equipment included four Beechcraft JRB aircraft. The JRB was a utility transport
version of Beechcraft's Model 18, first flown in January 1937. It was one of several
variants of the twin-engine aircraft used by all U.S. military services. Essentially the
same as the Navy's SNB and the Air Force's C-45, the JRB provided passenger seating for
five, or a mix of passengers plus limited light cargo and mail. VRU-4, and subsequently
VR-24 and its detachments variously located at Port Lyautey, Hendon, and Naples, operated the
sturdy little transport throughout Europe and the Mediterranean area. Given its limited
range, and "modest" speed and altitude capabilities, operational missions often became
extended affairs, providing a variety of opportunities for misadventure, if not a lot of
glory.
To date, only two clear photos
containing VR-24 JRB aircraft have been located. The photos to which the first three
thumbnail sketches below are linked are examples of the same, or equivalent, type of aircraft as
the VR-24 JRBs.
Anyone who has photos of this type of aircraft (dating from the late '40s to early '50s)
is urged to look closely the last three photos below and those on Scrapbook Port Lyautey Page Twenty-Three.
VR-24 JRBs were "bare-metal". As shown in the fourth and fith photos below, the aircraft markings
changed over time.
At one point, the letters "NAVY" appeared just aft of the national insignia (stars and bars).
At the same time, two or three-digit numbers (eg.: 87, 127, 374, or 574,
etc.) appeared on the nose of VR-24 JRBs. Perhaps later, as shown in the last photo on this page,
large numbers appeared on the sides of the fuselage just forward of the passenger door. This scheme
also included the letters "RD" on the vertical stabilizers and "UNITED STATES NAVY" above the fuselage windows.
Anyone caring to share his/her photo(s) of VR-24 JRB aircraft is
encouraged to email Dick Prather,
webmaster/editor of the VR-24 website. Contributions of the desired photos/images will
be appreciated.
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Navy SNB assigned to CNATRA, Pensacola
(USN photo)
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Navy SNB at National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola
(NNAM)
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Navy SNB over Louisiana
(USN photo)
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Unidentified sailor poses in cockpit of VR-24 JRB 127.
(jacobs collection)
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Unident CPO and DK2 Freddy Lake beside VR-24 JRB.
(jacobs collection)
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JRB-4 795 at Port Lyautey.
(salerno collection)
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