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since there are so many B-17's and the B-17 Registry is currenly undergoing overhaul, I figure that this a/c desrves its own section.
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Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:25 am

Anyone have an update as to how the restoration is coming along on Don Brooks' B-17 that he fished out of a lake in Canada?

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 12:42 pm

Not seeing much of anything recent on her. Anyone have ANY updates? Brooks Aviation, the folks who brought Liberty Belle back to life.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 12:59 pm

Tom Reilly doesnt have a website for his company does he?

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 2:08 pm

It seems like someone has told me that the warbird relic plane is not a single airframe. The wings or the back 1/3 are from a different plane?

Tom P.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 2:39 pm

After listening to the interview Matt Jolley conducted with Tom Reilly, Tom mentioned that they never found the tail to this B-17. So its still up there somewhere.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 5:37 pm

Yes, The writing about the retrieval of the plane is oustanding: After putting enough airbag on the plane and brough her to the surface they towed her during miles and miles night and day accross the lake in difficult weather.
That would be THE job for a team of warbirds fans.

According the pictures available, the nose was missing, too
And, on the website of the Urbana's B-17, there is some pictures about the resoration of this B-17 too, showing some work done by Tom Reilly, including the removale of the skin of the radio room. These skins were used as template to drill no skin for the Urbana's group, who need a complete scratch build radio room.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:40 pm

Warbird Kid wrote:After listening to the interview Matt Jolley conducted with Tom Reilly, Tom mentioned that they never found the tail to this B-17. So its still up there somewhere.

I wonder if there has been any active searches for the tail recently.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 7:21 pm

TriangleP wrote:
Is this the Dyke Lakes B-17, listed on Warbid Relics website as being for sale for $650,000? I think this is an archived link, as its not listed on the website anymore (at least I can't find it).
http://www.warbirdrelics.com/b-17.htm


The referenced link is to a very old (five years or more) listing of a parts project that consisted of the remaining parts of SB-17G 44-83722, VB-17G 44-83316, and JTB-17G 44-85813, plus some other parts from here and there gathered by Tom Reilly and offered for sale. This package was eventually picked up by the Urbana team and forms the basis for the restoration of 44-85813 to airworthy status. Needless to say, it is no longer available for sale.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:07 pm

Ok, file this one under better late than never.

The Dyke Lake project is in storage pending us freeing up from current projects. It has bumped up one on the priority list, now that the P-40 is completed. I'm currently going over the DC-3 (nee C-47), getting it ready to paint before it goes out to a few airshows this spring & summer. Once it's flying, we still have the SNJ to reassemble, and the Stearman to recover. After all of that, we'll start working on the B-17 fuselage. I'm guessing a post Oshkosh start for the B-17. In the meantime, we have been collecting some rear fuselage and empenage parts. It was decided early on, based on the condition of the fuselage, that it didn't make sense to go back after the tail.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:52 pm

Here's what it looked like about 5 years ago....the same weekend I met Chuck there!

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Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:44 pm

Chuck Giese wrote:Ok, file this one under better late than never.

The Dyke Lake project is in storage pending us freeing up from current projects. It has bumped up one on the priority list, now that the P-40 is completed. I'm currently going over the DC-3 (nee C-47), getting it ready to paint before it goes out to a few airshows this spring & summer. Once it's flying, we still have the SNJ to reassemble, and the Stearman to recover. After all of that, we'll start working on the B-17 fuselage. I'm guessing a post Oshkosh start for the B-17. In the meantime, we have been collecting some rear fuselage and empenage parts. It was decided early on, based on the condition of the fuselage, that it didn't make sense to go back after the tail.



Boredom is never a problem, is it Chuck?

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:56 pm

Rod Schneider wrote:
Boredom is never a problem, is it Chuck?


Nope. I keep the picture of me sleeping in front of the DC-3 as a reminder of what used to be, and may be again once we get back to going to air shows. That's where I *used* to catch up on sleep :)

B.T.W. Rod, how many projects do you have going now? If it makes it easier, we can limit the list to aircraft :wink:

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Thu Mar 11, 2010 10:08 pm

Here are some photos of parts of Don's B-17 taken at Douglas, GA, in October of 2008. The fuselage section shown in Randy's photos was not on the ramp, and I believe it was in the hangar.

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Walt

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:30 am

Randy, it's hard to believe that it was five years ago that we met, or that this yankee has lived in the south for 4 years. Can't imagine living anywhere else now. Love it here.

The fuselage is inside the hanger, and for the most part has been drilled apart and is on pallets.

Chuck

p.s. the trailer full of vintage DC-3 parts belongs to Tom, not Mr. Brooks.

Re: Don Brooks' B-17 restoration

Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:09 am

what's the latest on this restoration?
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