Behind-the-scenes NMUSAF

[Courier Sportster]

took the tour. it easily eats up a day. t'was fun and informative, even to this revell master modeler. not as loose as days of old, though. being on base is much more uptight. no pics allowed of outside where the sad XC-99 was splayed out like a gutted whale. that green skyraider was not there, I was super-bummed. my guide said they put it away! we got her talking so much that we were late and I was the very last guy back on the bus. that's always fun. the batons came out. kudos to the museum folks. great free entertainment. hope you enjoy. apologies for poor photography. Nikon Coolpix and a huwei prism android

[67N20]

Thanks for the "preview", will be there in two weeks.

[JohnB]

I got some great shots of the two B-17s in 2011, I would have thought the Belle would have been further along by now.
I wonder if they had funding issues?
At any rate, it's good to see them coming along and the C-82 (a type my father flew) getting some attention. I swear it was in the same spot outdoors for 30 years.

[Courier Sportster]

little more. my photobucket of course has big more.
not know story on this

really liked this military-only Stinson, once I got home and looked it up. it became obvious quick that our guide knew her stuff. said she'd been at it for over 30 years.

I touched nothing! honored the artifacts, but did invade their personal space just a bit. guide was ok- she liked me, one possibly sour face from tour regular
will be interesting to see that titan rocket on display, it's awfully big.

[Courier Sportster]

sergeant sportster wanna know where the non-display stuff is. I am now craving the 'behind the' behind-the scenes tour. gimme my mysterious green skyraider outfitted with russkie parts. I won't search for the ET's I promise. dang. this was I guess the ohio equivalent of garber facility. i'm such a snoop though I need to also see the things they don't want me to see. it's just better for everybody. any unlocked door is an invitation to enter! after this....i'm almost emboldened to risk a soplata view. hooked on dust and decay!!

[Courier Sportster]

the belle will have lots of new skin and all new paint. I can't say this iconic plane has ever really done it for me, it's way too cleansed. a spanking new 1941 pre-swoose will also lose it's je ne sais quoi....



I understand that any decent renovation is going to require a new bathtub, but it's sad to see all the historic authenticity being destroyed, or is it restored....it's a real debate. personally I like the P-61 at udvar-hazy. don't touch the paint!! AS-IS

[Steve Nelson]

Great pics! Doesn't look like a lot has changed since my last visit to "the shop" in March of last year. The "green" Skyraider was well along at that point. I thought they were pushing to finish it up for the re-vamped Viet Nam Gallery. I wonder why it was "back burnered."

As for all the restoration being done on the Belle and Swoose, sadly both aircraft had deteriorated so badly that complete rebuilds were the only real option. The nose art currently on the Belle is not the original, but a less-than-stellar repaint from her 1980s refurbishment. All the original paint is long gone. I have a friend who crawled through her back in '79, before any work was done. He said the interior was almost completely stripped, and what was there was badly deteriorated or damaged by vandals. The Swoose wasn't much better, having been stored outdoors at Silver Hill for many years. I'm really looking forward to seeing both aircraft completed.

I think that B-17G "Cheyenne" tail stinger in the crate belongs to the aircraft at the Grissom museum. Mustangdriver may correct me here, but I believe it was loaned to the Mighty 8th AF Museum in Savannah a few years ago..they restored it as used it as a pattern to rebuild the tail gun on their B-17.

I'm surprised to see the C-82 still in the shop. I think it was out on the ramp when I was last at the museum in January. Maybe they want to keep it indoors to preserve the fresh paint until the new building is ready.

I think I recall seeing that rusty V-2 in the Annex back in the late 70s. I thought it was the restored one now on display in the main museum..apparently not.


SN

[Courier Sportster]

that was not a V-2 but something smaller and similar with 8 fins. the C-82 had a bunch of fresh red paint peeling off. can be seen in one photo on tail boom. like a superficial facelift didn't quite take in spots. they didn't tell me that, I just surmised. yeah, i'm still thinking about it all. lotsa questions. gotta say it was real weird being that close to the museum and not going in. a first! I had to get on home.

[Misterg97]

Great pics! Doesn't look like a lot has changed since my last visit to "the shop" in March of last year. The "green" Skyraider was well along at that point. I thought they were pushing to finish it up for the re-vamped Viet Nam Gallery. I wonder why it was "back burnered."

As for all the restoration being done on the Belle and Swoose, sadly both aircraft had deteriorated so badly that complete rebuilds were the only real option. The nose art currently on the Belle is not the original, but a less-than-stellar repaint from her 1980s refurbishment. All the original paint is long gone. I have a friend who crawled through her back in '79, before any work was done. He said the interior was almost completely stripped, and what was there was badly deteriorated or damaged by vandals. The Swoose wasn't much better, having been stored outdoors at Silver Hill for many years. I'm really looking forward to seeing both aircraft completed.

I think that B-17G "Cheyenne" tail stinger in the crate belongs to the aircraft at the Grissom museum. Mustangdriver may correct me here, but I believe it was loaned to the Mighty 8th AF Museum in Savannah a few years ago..they restored it as used it as a pattern to rebuild the tail gun on their B-17.

I'm surprised to see the C-82 still in the shop. I think it was out on the ramp when I was last at the museum in January. Maybe they want to keep it indoors to preserve the fresh paint until the new building is ready.

I think I recall seeing that rusty V-2 in the Annex back in the late 70s. I thought it was the restored one now on display in the main museum..apparently not.


SN

Both Packet and Boxcar will be in the new building. As to the Skyraider, I heard last week that they can't find the needed parts to complete it. That was all I heard with no further details.

I'll be in Korea/SEA, Friday the 4th in the AM.

[Ken]

Regarding the A-1H, I did see that it is no longer listed on the current restorations page. The "parts wanted" section included a piece of carb air inlet and/or duct and, IIRC, part of the elevator horn. One would think that, at least for an external piece, a part could be pulled from the Smithsonian A-1H and cast in fiberglass or somehow replicated. I'm sure funding is always an issue as well.

I'm torn, on one hand I respect their goal of accuracy and completeness and can understand if the project is shelved awaiting parts, yet I know they've encountered far greater parts shortages on other projects and pressed on by fabricating, replicating, whatever. I wouldn't even dismiss the Embassy asking the Vietnamese for as assist given the change in relations over the past decade plus.

Anyhoo, just hoped to see the A-1 in the gallery by the 2015 40th anniversary unveil.

Ken

[Pat Carry]

Thanks for the photos. It appears they have enough projects in the shop rite now to keep them busy for 20 years or more.

[Courier Sportster]

I know! it's a good thing, but I told our guide that I wasn't getting any younger! nothing seemed much of a priority but the place was organized. moving at a bureaucratic pace. soplatas might have A-1 parts? is there any relationship there? certainly should be. I would not have expected skyraider parts to be super-scarce. for the life of me I cannot figure out how the gunner positions himself in the B-17D bathtub. looks uncomfortable and offering poor visibility. here's one more, the ultimate low-rider. an atlas driver. I learned the atlas must stay pressurized, forever! bizarre.

[Pat Carry]

I'm hoping I live long enough to see the Swoose restored.

[Brad]

I've got an elevator control horn in my office at work. I'll happily sell it to them or trade it if they are interested.

[Ken]

Link to want list specifics:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/exhibi ... ntlist.asp