There is only one left that can fly. Out of the hundreds of PB4Y-2 Privateers that the US Navy operated across the Pacific during the final years of World War II, a single airworthy example survives — based in Casa Grande, Arizona, maintained by a small crew of devoted enthusiasts who have spent nearly two decades keeping it alive. This July, it will fly to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The Privateer is not famous. It is not an icon like the B-17 or a crowd favourite like the P-51 Mustang. But it is one of the rarest warbirds in the world, and seeing it in the air is a privilege that grows more precious with every passing year.

Not a B-24 — Something Better

The Privateer is often described as a B-24 variant, and that is technically true — it shares the Liberator’s basic wing structure and four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines. But the resemblance ends there. The Navy wanted a purpose-built maritime patrol bomber, and Consolidated delivered one. The Privateer has a completely redesigned fuselage with a tall, single vertical tail (the B-24 has a distinctive twin tail), a lengthened fuselage for extra fuel and crew comfort on missions that could last 12 hours or more, and waist turrets for defending against attacks from the sides.

The aircraft was designed to fly low over the ocean for hours, hunting Japanese submarines and shipping. It carried radar, depth charges, and enough fuel to cover vast stretches of the Pacific without tanker support. In the maritime patrol role, endurance mattered more than speed.

From Combat to Fire Suppression

After the war, many Privateers found second careers. The US Coast Guard operated them for maritime surveillance. But the most unusual chapter came when dozens of surplus Privateers were converted into aerial firefighting tankers. Their enormous fuselage could carry thousands of gallons of fire retardant, and their four-engine reliability made them ideal for low-altitude drops over burning forests. The sole surviving airworthy Privateer lived most of its life in this role. It was part of the fleet operated by Hawkins and Powers in Greybull, Wyoming — a legendary aerial firefighting company that operated a fleet of WWII-era bombers until a series of accidents and a change in US Forest Service contracting rules forced the fleet to auction in 2007. That is when Joe Shoen, Robert Kropp, and a group of friends stepped in. They bought the Privateer at auction and brought it to David Goss of GossHawk Unlimited in Casa Grande, Arizona. Three years and $300,000 later, the aircraft was airworthy again.

Why Oshkosh Matters

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is the largest gathering of aviation enthusiasts in the world. More than 600,000 people attend each year, and the event is as much a pilgrimage as a show. For warbird enthusiasts, seeing the Privateer on the flightline — alongside the Commemorative Air Force’s B-24 Diamond Lil, which recently returned to the air after a two-and-a-half-year restoration — will be a once-in-a-generation moment. Four radial engines, a 110-foot wingspan, and a history that stretches from Pacific submarine hunts to Western wildfire battles. The Privateer is not the most famous warbird. But it might be the most remarkable one still flying.

Sources: Flying Magazine, EAA, Aero-News Network, GossHawk Unlimited