Warbird Information Exchange

Quite possibly true. If you shoot at a 15th second to get both depth and available light, movement's gonna show up either way, unfortunately.

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"Anyway, the throat feels a bit rough...the legs have gone...but I'm still able to chant, so let's get going."

Joe Strummer, 1999

I'm sorry to be the sourpuss here but using valuable aitworthy parts to making a flyable a/c that's purpuse is for a museum display is just stupid and wasteful.
It's a waste of valuable parts, time, energy and funds. Parts that could be used on actualy flying restorations or in keeping airworthy a/c where they belong. Time saved could be spent on other displays. Funds would be available for other projects. How many static display a/c were built up has flying with all those good parts??? Anyone with a number??
Flame suit on

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Don't touch my junk!!

Simma down now Jack, Simma down


You never know Jack they may pull a Howard Hughs while they're taxiing!!! It would take a trememdous amount of will power not to. Atleast on my part.

For me, that would be worth it.

But afterward who is to say that they wouldn't pull the engines and replace them with static ones. That would be nice if they did. The Urbana group up the road from the NMUSAF is still looking for an engine or two for their project. And I hear that those guys and gals are in good with Metcalf.

Shay
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Semper Fortis

So let me get t his straight you are going to bash a museum for restoring an aircraft too good? I think it is great, although I am some what
against the engine run up for other reasons. I have heard that the engine run up is still not a sure thing and that if it is that it was going to be just one of the engines, and no taxing.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

No bashing in any way. The AFM is a awesome place!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tjust hink that using airworthy components for a museum display
is wasteful of these precious resource. They can do wonderful
work with non-airworthy compnents. A perfect example are EVGs P-38 and 2 ME-109s. All 3 restored to impeciable standards and never to fly.
That's a waste

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Don't touch my junk!!

I can see what you mean, I am not sure that the engine run is going to take place.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

What they should do is periodicaly roll out and run up Shoo Shoo Baby. They could have a Shoo Shoo Baby Taxi Day at the museum. (Kinda like the Lanc 'Just Jane' in the UK)

I mean she did FLY in after a full restoration to airworthiness!

Anyone have any pics of that event?

Pete

I kinda agree with Jack on some of this stuff.

It is a shame to make an airplane "airworthy" even worse to run and fly it and then stick it in a building forever. See Shoo Shoo Baby...the Korean Connie, all the Evergreen stuff etc.

I understand the special stuff ...one of a kind...uber historical machines like Wright Flyer, Winnie Mae, Spirit of St. Louis, Enloa Gay...etc

But...not with rare airworthy parts that can be used in a flying machine.



http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=2481

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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That may be true, but the engines and systems are owned by the NMUSAF and they won't let them be used in flying restorations anyway. I am fine with not taxing these things around. We need static museums just as we do our flying ones. I think that the Memphis Belle is going to be a great static display, but some would like to see it run up one last time to display that it came back form the near dead.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Any pictures of "Shoo Shoo" in her correct wartime scheme?

Shay
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Semper Fortis

I still don't get why they painted it OD green. I've heard the explanations about new metal, etc., but I still don't get it...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

It is my understanding that at one time she was indeed O.D. over gray. She is an early B-17G. But the metal situation didn't help any. Personally I like the O.D. forts better.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Basically, I've always heard that they had to do so much re-skinning that the combination of new and old sheetmetal would make her look really patchy.

Now that the museum has the Belle, it'd be nice to see a bare-metal "G" and an OD "F," but it would be a tremendous amount of work (and expense) to strip and polish "Shoo Shoo." Not to mention, they'd lose the nose art, which was painted by the same guy who painted the original in WWII (and he's now deceased.) Personally, I think she looks fine as-is, and would rather see the museum use its limited resources elsewhere.


SN

With the proper polishing technique, the old metal would blend and shine with the new. Refer to the New England Air Museum's B-29 "Jack's Hack." Yeah it would be an expense and effort but I think historically it's important. Maybe they can tackle it someday down the road if theres a desire...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

The Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby's exterior skin panels were in very bad shape due to exposure to the elements. Most of the clad plating thats intended to protect the outer skin's base metal was removed when they sanded off the corrosion. There was no way they could polish it and make it look like it did originally. Reskinning the B-17G outter skin was going to be too costly and doing so would have devalued its historical significance to a degree where the plane would no longer be considered all original, but instead a reproduction.

Last I heard they are planning to run up all four of the Memphis Belle's engines and maybe taxi her around Wright Field under her own power! I heard the museum plans to maintain her to flying condition so they can possibly take her outside the Convention Center during special events and run up her engines during these events. She needs to be completely airworthy from an operational standpoint to be able to do this obviously. I do hope the museum stays with the original plan rather than just keeping her as a silent static display going round and round on a turn table at a snails pace. The engines that came with the plane are not the original engines that were used during its combat career and bond tour. The aircraft went through several engine changes when it was stationed at MacDill where my father flew her when the Belle was part of the Training Command. The R-1820-97 engines that came with her from Memphis were all built by Studebaker. Her new zero time replacement engines are also built by Studebaker.

Jim