Warbird Information Exchange

Airport recycles engine

By BRIAN CHARLES
Bob Hartunian hates waste. The retired airplane engineer spent years designing efficient parts for Boeing. Hartunian also owns an experimental airplane that weighs half of what a compact car weighs and is powered by an 80 horsepower engine.

When Hartunian looked at the Dodge R-3350 engine in front of the Big Bear Airport Terminal he saw waste. “It’s just going to rust sitting there,” he said. Others agreed.

“It seemed like a fish out of water,” said airport board president Jay Obernolte. The engine parked in front of the airport terminal would be more appropriate if the airport had more artifacts, he added. “If it were a working engine it would be a good display,” said airport general manager Garry Dokter.

The airport’s waste will become the United States Aviation Museum’s gain. On Aug. 1 the airport board voted to donate the Dodge R-3350 to the United States Aviation Museum.

Hartunian was contacted by Max Parkhurst a member of the USAM and the owner of a B-29 Stratofortress. Parkhurst is restoring the airplane, which is one of two of its kind left in the world. Parkhurst needs a Dodge R-3350 engine, Hartunian said. When the plane is fully restored it will be flown at air shows around the country.

The B-29 Stratofortress was used in World War II. The same model carried the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. After the war, the planes were scrapped. Parkhurst’s plane, named “Doc” after the character from Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, was stationed at China Lake weapons base. U.S. Navy pilots used the B-29 for target practice before the plane was saved in 1998.

The plane wasn’t bullet riddled, so Parkhurst decided to restore it. However, the manufacturer of the B-29’s engine no longer makes the R-3350. With no replacement parts, engines like the one at the airport are either rebuilt or used for spare parts, Hartunian said.

Hartunian and Parkhurst talk by e-mail and meet once a year in Lawrence, Kan., at a pilots’ convention. Parkhurst is also a former Boeing employee and worked at the Wichita, Kan., plant, where the B-29 is being rebuilt. Parkhurst mentioned that he needed a R-3350 engine. Hartunian thought the one in the Big Bear Airport terminal might work. He snapped some pictures, wrote down the engine serial number and sent them to Parkhurst. The match was made, but Hartunian had to convince the airport board to donate the engine.

It wasn’t a hard job. No one wanted to see the engine there wasting away, Hartunian said. However, the airport board had to make sure it could give the engine away. Dokter checked with the airport’s attorney. Donating to a nonprofit is fine, but the airport district had to establish who owned it.

The engine first arrived at the airport terminal in 1982. The Red Baron Restaurant used the engine as a decorative piece, Dokter said. Red Baron was replaced by Evergreen Corporation, which assumed ownership of the engine. After some searching Dokter located the remaining partners of Evergreen Corporation, who told Dokter he could donate the engine.

The airport board voted to donate the engine to the USAM. Airport board member Gary Steube said he will transport the engine to Wichita, Kan., in mid September.

Contact reporter Brian Charles at 909-866-3456, ext. 134 or by e-mail at briancharles@bigbeargrizzly.net.

Great news for Doc! I assume it's a Hemi engine Wright?

Don't be a Pratt!

I think they already have four and they all need a re-build...

I know at the end of the NOVA documentry it was stated that Kee Bird would sink to the bottom of the lake when it thawed. But someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read in the book, Hunting Warbirds, that Gary Larkins went back to the site after the fire to survey the damage and was able to move the pieces of the aircraft off the lake with the abandoned bulldozer. I borrowed the book years ago, so I don't have a copy to confirm my memories. If this is true, I would think there would be a ton of useful parts the could be salvaged...wings, gear, rudder, engines, props, etc.

Also was wondering if anyone had used Google Earth to search for the Kee Bird remains. It's supposedly located about 250 miles north of Thule Air Base, but it's probably like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Todd