Warbird Information Exchange

Here are a few photos I took during the time the National Air & Space Museum's Boeing 307 Stratoliner was at Boeing Field.

The first shows it shortly after arrival at Boeing Field in 1996. Previously it had been stored at Pima, AZ.


These next two are after completion of the first restoration by Boeing. The 307 was flown several times in 2001 and 2002 and even appeared at Oshkosh in July 2001.




As is well-known, in March 2002 the Stratoliner ran out of fuel during a flight from Seattle to Everett and back and was ditched in Elliott Bay. The aircraft was recovered and restored again by Boeing. The next photo shows the results of the 2nd restoration in June 2003:


The Stratoliner is seen here on July 27, 2003 departing Seattle on its flight to the NASM's Udvar Hazy Center, where it is on display today.


-Jon Davis

What a great looking plane! I would love to see pictures of the restoration. Thanks for posting these.

_________________
"I'd rather be on the ground wishing we were in the air, than in the air and wishing we were on the ground" - Bob Cabana

Don't forget to dip the tanks...
Don't forget to dip the tanks...
Don't forget to dip the tanks...
Don't forget to dip the tanks...
Don't forget to dip the tanks...
Don't forget to dip the tanks...

A close friend of mine read the article about the fuel starve and ditching, we discussed it, and nearly the next flight, that person also forgot to dip the tanks and ran out of fuel. DUUHHHHHH!

_________________
REMEMBER THE SERGEANT PILOTS!

Running out of fuel.., my father once recalled a tale when he was flying out C-47's out of Anchorage.., he was powering up for take-off and the left engine began to sputter and conk out.., so he throttled back and went to the end of the field to do a run-up. All was well.., he taxied back and began his take-off again.., same thing as the aircraft leveled and he was about to take-off.., sputter and conk.., he throttled down, hit the brakes and pulled to the maintenance hangar.., the sgt in charge came out and immediately climbed up onto the wing.., he opened up the fuel door and leaned in with a dipstick..,my father noticed that when he leaned over a 'cellophane' wrapped tiporillo cigar fell out of his front shirt pocket and slid down the wing into my fathers waiting hands..., he thought for a second.., then called down the seargent. They drained the tank.., and fished around and pulled out several cellophane wrapped cigars. When power was applied and forward motion, the fuel would slosh and the cigar would float into the intake for the fuel filter and clog it up.

The SGT went away to a motor pool of some sorts!!!

_________________
S.

What happens when you have four Captains and no Flight Engineer on a Vintage one of restoration?

Dip the tanks hah. They were to cheap to buy gas at Paine and headed back
to Boeing Field because they didn't want to be stranded there. What a waste!!

_________________
Don't touch my junk!!

oops!

_________________
Don't touch my junk!!

Thanks for the photos, I’d never seen most of them before. My personal irony was I never saw this airplane up close until I went to see her at Dulles this past July. I was working in downtown Seattle (off of Lake Union) as a PR rep for a large company when this bird went down. I was downtown and heard her (thinking there was a B-17 aloft) and caught a glimpse of her between two buildings. I only found out on the way home that I’d actually seen her inbound for Boeing Field and probably moments away from going into the drink. I didn’t get down to the beach where she ditched until after they hauled her out. It happened right in front of a restaurant and to this day I’m baffled nobody caught her going into the water in video or with cell phones.
Even being a MOF member at the time (and still to this day) I never caught her in Seattle except for that brief glimpse. When I caught up to her in Virginia last summer, I whispered to myself, “Finally” when I walked up to her.

_________________

Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
1944 Willys MB #366014, MVPA
REMF

But wait, there's more...............................the PIC on the Puget Sound ditching is the lead flight test pilot on the 787 program

_________________
After 40 years in aviation, I find only three reasons to run-
Fire, Free food, If someons yells 'hey, the free food's on fire'