Professor Greg Jackson

Possible?

Sure, but it demands skill, guts, and a dash of crazy.

Little surprise then that every participant is a volunteer.

And because they need all the range they can get, they're using these Army B-25s.

The Navy doesn't fly land-based medium bombers.

Only Army Air Force pilots have experience with them.

Hence, Army crews on a Navy carrier.

But everything got thrown off this morning by Japan's little picket boat, number 23 Mito Maru.

Planes from the carrier USS Enterprise attacked her, and the light cruiser USS Nashville finished her off, but not before the former fishing ship radioed about the American presence.

And that's why Jimmy has to launch now, still roughly 150 nautical miles before the intended point of departure.

Meanwhile, some sailors wonder, can these twin-engine bombers with five-man crews really take off from the Hornet's comparatively short flight deck?

And in this foul weather?

Well, a betting pool aboard the Enterprise says probably not.

Let's find out.

It's now 820 a.m.

With a 30 knot wind blowing down the deck, the Hornet pushes to 20 knots, hoping to give Jimmy's B-25 all the help it can lifting off.

With a checkered flag waving and the chocks pulled, Jimmy throttles up as the deck heaves beneath him.

Everyone watches with bated breath as he roars toward the end of the flight deck and yes, he's airborne, disappearing into the gray sky.

15 more bombers follow.

Sailors who lost the bet have never been happy to be out to box.