Warbird Information Exchange

I am starting to help out the guys at the Grissom Air Museum. I am tyring to help get anything that can help the B-17 there. They are a great group of people and could use any help what so ever. Here are some pics of where I am starting at with them.






Not sure what the blue paint is from. At first I thought overspray from the insignia, but the whole door was painted blue at one time.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Congrats on getting involved with that group and the B-17. What a wonderful project that would be to help with. You're a lucky guy.

Anyways, enjoy, learn, and have a blast doing it.

Cheers,

David

Chris, and others, regarding the blue door.
In the past, 44-83690 served as a DB17-G "Drone Director" in 1950+. Is it possible the blue paint dates to that use?
FYI: It participated in "Operation Greenhouse", the hydrogen bomb tests on Eniwetok Atoll in 1951. It returned to the USA in 1960, flying to the current AFB in 1961 at the start of what has become this museum.

Great stuff Chris! Any pic's of the flight deck?

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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..."

Very interesting. I am going to keep searching. Anyone have any older pics of her. THanks for all of the kind words. I am trying very hard to get her looking good. My hope is for the museum to be able to get a building to house it and a few others.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Good stuff, Chris.

Interesting to see she as fitted with a B-24's retractable ball turret mount versus the rigid post as found in the production line B-17s. Wonder where that came from? No detraction - at least she's wearing turrets. An observation, nothing more...

Just how much do they want to "restore" the inside - meaning, specifically, if stuff was to show up for installation would they be receptive to actually see that it ended up in there? And perhaps most importantly, would "they" be willing to purchase or trade and/or provide tax donation letter for a donor?

A parts guy always has questions.... (grin, grin!).

- Rob

No problem. THey are really great people, and I will ask about those details in a couple of days when I am out there.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Thanks for the photos Chris. Looks like a good candidate for the folks at in the restoration shop at the Natl Museum of the USAF!

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Chirs...simply awesome! As Richard (the maintenance fella there at Grissom) will tell ya, I spent a lot of time inside the Belle, daydreaming It is splendid to sit up by the parking lot, after hours, looking at all the girls there at Grissom and letting them talk to you! Many, many hours spent listening...

OK, as I understood from John Crume, the founder of the Grissom museum, the NMUSAF came one day and stripped the Belle of all the parts they could get off of and out of her. As your pix show, she has been picked clean inside. The NMUSAF did give him the ball turret, but according to what he told me, that has been the extent of help he got from the NMUSAF. After he died, I spent some time with his widow and she has a wonderful photo album of the Belle the way she was when John found her as well as all the work that he and others did in making her presentable. Richard and I were going through a box of slides one day and found some of the Belle shortly after she arrived at Grissom. Where those slides are now is anybody's guess WIX member John Kerr has posted some older shots of the Belle.

It would be so wonderful for you to get the Belle some much needed help! With the contacts you have at the NMUSAF, I am certain you could get a lot more accomplished than I ever did. There was a gentleman from Rolls Royce (Indianapolis plant) out there one day that I had the fortune of talking to about the possibility of some help in getting a building done for the Belle and the other girls. He suggested that I write a letter, but unfortunately, life got in the way and I left Indiana shortly thereafter.

Simply awesome that you got the bug and I really hope you can get something done to help "my old girlfriend". (Richard will let you in on that joke...tell him some guy named Darrell has been talking to you about my old girlfriends there at Grissom )

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Earn my respect and never lose it.
Demand my respect and never gain it. -Me

...just another plane dreamer.

A bit more info...the parts that were taken from the Belle by the NMUSAF people did go to a good home...they are now part of Shoo Shoo Baby.

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Earn my respect and never lose it.
Demand my respect and never gain it. -Me

...just another plane dreamer.

Your moniker is the best

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Hang The Expense

I think I still have an Air Classics mag with an article on a resto done back in the 80's along with the painting of the nose art, which is totally different than what she is wearing now.

I can dig it up if you like.

Before I go back into hibernation, I want to make sure that everyone understands that I am NOT dissing the NMUSAF in any way. The people at Grissom are very grateful to the NMUSAF for allowing the Belle to stay there! I know for certain that Rollie (ball turret gunner with the 100th) was pleasently surprised when the ball turret showed-up...never asked him if it was aircraft correct or not.

If Chris or anyone can get any help at all from the NMUSAF in maintaining the Belle, that is a positive thing from any angle.

Sorry about my exuberance...seeing "my" old girl and hearing that she might get some help brings a smile to my soul

Adieux and good luck Chris! If there is any other bits of info I can share with ya, please PM me and I will help however I can. I am sure that Richard and Rollie there at Grissom have tons more info to share with ya and will help point you in the right direction.

Toodleoo...Darrell

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Earn my respect and never lose it.
Demand my respect and never gain it. -Me

...just another plane dreamer.

I'd love to see that!

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

I never took anything you said as bashing man. Not in the least. I don't get into politics, I don't have time for that crap. I just want to work on old airplanes.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager