Warbird Information Exchange

Two others. First, the ability of NASM to restore a former waterbomber to an accurate (by the standards of the big three "National" aviation museums: NASM, NMUSAF, NMNA) representation of a wartime B-17.

Second, the desire to have an aircraft either with most of its historic fabric intact (historic hatchet with a head that's been replaced five times and a handle that's been replaced six argument) and/or with a combat history on display at the NASM.

Chris,

Those are really awesome looking photos. I remember working on the Kawanishi N1K2 Shiden Kai "George 21" fighter thats currently on display in the Air Power Gallery behind the B-29 "Bockscar." I last heard that the General plans to put the B-29 up on pylons to make more room for additional exhibits and to better showcase the George. On this bird, I restored the oleo struts, polished the undersides of its wings, restored its flaps, restored the flap track followers and its flap actuators, restored the actuators for the main landing gear and helped in final assembly once all the components were complete when I was still volunteering in over in Restoration. I miss working over there. My current job at the Aero Club as acting Chief of Maintenance prevents me from getting enough free time to volunteer over there anymore. Been too busy restoring a Beech Baron and a Piper Warrior II to airworthy condition for the club in addition to performing 50 hour and 100 hour inspections on our fleet of 9 operational aircraft.

I understand that when the B-17D "Swoose" is completely restored and put on display in the Air Power Gallery along with the B-17F Memphis Belle, SSSB will be going to the NASM at Dulles. I heard the General had made that arrangement with the NASM just to get the "Swoose" to the NMUSAF. The SSSB can be made flyable, but it would be very costly to do so because all the preservation fluids in the engines and hydraulic lines would have to be flushed out, seals would have to be replaced, etc. I'm pretty sure they will be disassembling SSSB and either trucking it to Dulles or flying it over in pieces by C-5 Galaxy to Dulles. It took 8 semi truckloads just to get the Memphis Belle from Memphis to Dayton when they brought this old gal up so I imaging the same would be true for the SSSB. I heard the A-25 they brought in is in pretty bad shape and that they will be busy for several years reverse engineering parts for it. I don't envy the guys working on this big tailed beast. Then again, theres nothing like having good job security.

Jim

Thanks man. Cool info as well. I had heard that he isn't doing the pylon idea anymore on the B-29. It was going to be similar to the one in NASM. After looking it over, there would not be a good vantage point to see it from.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Chris,

I'm glad to hear the General changed his mind about those pylons for the Superfortress. It would be pretty hard to see the B-29 since theres no catwalk for visitors to walk on inside that gallery to get a good vantage point of it inside the Air Power Gallery. I do know he had some sort of diarama planned for the George. Maybe he changed his mind on this too.

Jim

Not sure on the George, but man it looks great out on display. I'm glad on the 29 as well. It just looks great on the ground as is.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager