Quick note from Madras

[Chris Brame]

I've been working up in Prineville, OR this past week and my boss sent me to check on a property his uncle owns in Madras. Since it was two blocks from the air museum, I got a quick look inside. Will have photos downloaded when I get home, but it was major cool to add two more B-17s to my "seen" list - Ye Olde Pub and Thunder Bird, which make a total of 14. Their Corsair was parked outside making engine run-ups with a sound crew from the Devotion movie, recording sound FX for the film. Also got to see Preston's Pride in passing on the way, looking so much better than when I last saw it in '87.

More later...

Last edited by Chris Brame on Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Pat Carry]

Thanks for the update! Hopefully one day Preston's Pride can find a home inside.

[Chris Brame]

Got my pix for WIX; not a great cell phone but at least you get the idea. Part 1:

[Pat Carry]

Thanks for the photos Chris!

[phil65]

Thanks for the pictures...
Not too many places you can see two B-17's sitting next to each other outside of an airshow...

Phil

[Chris Brame]

Part 2:

[Chris Brame]

Part 3:




























That's it - thanks for looking!

One other thing: The museum doesn't have any photos of the B-17s that were based in Madras during the war. Looking through the AAM website and David Osborne's Fortlog, there only appear to be 13 that were based there for a short period, starting in June 1943:

42-2988
42-29757
42-30555 (went missing 5-22-44 from Walla Walla; never found?)
42-30588
42-30742
42-5351
42-29720
42-5356
42-5755
42-29521
42-29655
42-5290
42-5327

Of these, it looks like only 42-5351 has been photographed:
http://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/3291
If anyone has photos of Madras trainer B-17s, please post them and pass them along to the museum - they'd appreciate it!

[JohnB]

Any sign of their recently acquired Bearcat?

Love the Bellancas...both of them.
I'll have to stop but to see the Aircruiser.
A month or so ago, a small old Bellanca (aka the "Cardboard Connie") was at the local field. Hadn't seen one in years.

[p51]

Thanks for the photos. I really would like to get down there to see that museum someday.

[Scott Rose]

Thanks for sharing!

[Pogo]

Man, ol' Thunder Bird is a mighty familiar airplane to yours truly. What's it doing way up there in OR??

For a few years Texas Raiders was at Ellington and Thunder Bird was at LSFM Galveston, and so every once in a while I'd hear a B-17 rumbling overhead ... and then need to ID the bird to see which B-17 it was!

And then there were none...