American Heritage Museum(Collings) announces a Stuka project

[Warbirdnerd]

Interesting history…

https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org/ ... ign=gt2023

There have been a handful of recoveries over the past 30 years. The American Heritage Museum has the only long term restoration project underway at this time. The rarity, importance and uniqueness of this aircraft cannot be overstated.

This aircraft is a Ju-87D-5 (Work Number 131587). Attached to 1/S.G.5 in Finland in 1944, it was used for close air support missions in the frozen north. Flying as Q9+CH this Stuka was piloted by Lt. Uffz. Walter Ernest and Uffz. Ernest Zenker. April 4th, 1944, the aircraft ran low on fuel and landed on a frozen lake. With no way to recover the aircraft they detonated a grenade in the cockpit, rendering the aircraft unusable, and left it to sink into the lake during the spring thaw. Sleeping in ice-cold fresh water, she was not disturbed for 77 years. Once hauled to the surface, the white distemper paint could still be seen on her skin, evidence of desperate times and the difficulty of fighting a war at the top of the world. The extreme freezing temperatures preserved this historic aircraft in incredible condition, so for the first time a completely untouched and original Ju 87D-5 has reached the American Heritage Museum.

With the help of the RAF Museum, Berlin Technik Museum, and the Východočeské Museum in the Czech Republic, this will certainly be the most watched restoration of the modern era. The American Heritage Museum presents the beginning of the next chapter for world-class restoration and preservation.

[quemerford]

Let's hope it's a restoration and not a recreation: that looks amazing and needs to be conserved.

[marine air]

Didn't know this one was around. You can look at the Brewster Buffalo owned by the US Naval Museum to see how nice this one might be. MY suggestion would be to call the people in Europe that rebuilt the former Allen example. The fuselage is supposed to be very complicated. Second phone call would be to the Walton guy in Arkansas as the former Allen example was built up from several wrecks. Maybe they have some extra parts. Maybe there will be two flyable Stukas in the next few years.

[phil65]

"The A-10 Thunderbolt II is the living descendant of the Ju-87 in many ways."

Kind of a strange comment...

Phil

[Thomas_Mac]

Didn't know this one was around. You can look at the Brewster Buffalo owned by the US Naval Museum to see how nice this one might be. MY suggestion would be to call the people in Europe that rebuilt the former Allen example. The fuselage is supposed to be very complicated. Second phone call would be to the Walton guy in Arkansas as the former Allen example was built up from several wrecks. Maybe they have some extra parts. Maybe there will be two flyable Stukas in the next few years.

There are some photos on the website of what they are working with. Doesn't look quite as nice as that Buffalo unfortunately, would assume the hand grenade in the cockpit didn't help.

[bomberfan]

What are the odds it'll actually fly? Maybe I just haven't heard about it, but I've heard zero mention of their P-38 or F6F flying anytime after being shown off one or twice. I hope I'm wrong, but I wonder if it'll end up static after a flight or two.

[DoraNineFan]

Whoa.....

[quemerford]

Hopefully fully static. To restore it to flying condition you would need to junk what you see in the photos. Hence my concerns.

[Mark Allen M]

Although after the FHC Stuka sadly came to a screeching halt. This new venture seems exciting. But again if the idea is to eventually have this example take to the sky, I’d agree there wouldn’t be much as far as original material used to get it airborne. My opinion only.

Still it would be extremely exciting to see a Ju 87 up zipping around. All the best to Collings.

[OD/NG]

Edited. See following comment.

Last edited by OD/NG on Tue Nov 28, 2023 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[OD/NG]

Hopefully fully static. To restore it to flying condition you would need to junk what you see in the photos. Hence my concerns.

It was just confirmed by AHM that this will be a flying restoration.

[JohnB]

Hopefully fully static. To restore it to flying condition you would need to junk what you see in the photos. Hence my concerns.

I agree.
If it was in the condition of the ships pulled from Lake Michigan, you probably could make it airworthy.

But seeing the photo of this aircraft, I agree that to make it airworthy you'd end up throwing most of this away (or selling it to "Plane Tags")

On this aircraft, so much is gone, if you really want to conserve it you'd have to do a "as found" display...but to give future generations a look at something that looks like a Ju-87, there will be a bunch of new metal needed.

As far as a zero time engine, when touring the NMUSAF restoration shop and looking at the Memphis Belle, I was told by a forman that it had newly overhauled engines.
Why not if money is no object?

Last edited by JohnB on Wed Dec 13, 2023 10:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.

[DoraNineFan]

Hopefully fully static. To restore it to flying condition you would need to junk what you see in the photos. Hence my concerns.

It was just confirmed by AHM that this will be a flying restoration.

I always thought the Ju-87D or Ju-87G series had much better lines. Seeing one in the air would be nice.

[shepsair]

As with other cold water rebuilds, nearly all of the structural elements are likely to be in a good enough condition to be reused. Skins can be replaced with original displayed if necessary.