KC-97 remains, Planes of Fame, Valle, Az,

Django · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:32 pm

Will it remain a B-50, or will it become a B-29?

chooch982 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:34 pm

Much better!!

Edward Sheetmetalhands · **Joined:** Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:44 am **Posts:** 257

Cool photo, thanks!

I wonder if that aft section originally belonged to Lucky Lady, or a China Lake B-29?

RNDMTRS4EVR · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:04 pm

Sure would be cool to see a flying B-50

I don't know that it would every happen but that would be great though! four 4360's flying along,ahhhh the sound..........

Scott.................

ZRX61 · **Joined:** Tue Jun 14, 2005 10:16 am **Posts:** 2308

Theres a 97 close to flight....

retroaviation · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:39 pm

ZRX61 wrote:

Theres a 97 close to flight....

I know y'all don't need them, but I surrrrrre wish you'd buy the C-97 parts I've got laying around here. ;-)

Gary

Airlift48 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 744

We have lots of parts we dont need, too.

I'd love to help, but given the lousy airshow season we had, we're watching the dollars more closely than ever...

RNDMTRS4EVR · **Posted:** Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:29 pm

I do miss the C-97 days as well, you could always tell when that H&P bird (was #84 then #97) was coming into the Stead Air Tanker Base, that whole valley just echoed those 4360's. It will be nice to see a C-97 in the air as well.

Scott.......

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

X-post

octane130 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:52 pm

I've actually been inside the fuselage of the Planes of Fame's B-50 Lucky Lady II at Chino within the last few years. It is actually quite complete and in very good condition. I "toured" the fuselage with a former gunner on B-50s and he explained the remote gun-sighting system for the turrets on the aircraft for me (most components still present I believe). Very fascinating! Some years ago, a crew member on Lucky Lady II gave a presentation at the Planes of Fame Museum on Lucky Lady II's very last flight. He was a crew member on the last flight of that aircraft. The nose gear (and I believe it was just the nose gear) would not descend upon a landing approach to an airfield in Arizona. The aircraft landed quite short of the runway and as a result, all kinds of debris entered the shattered portions of the plexiglass in the nose, including some very nasty cactus branches. Aformentioned crewmember had to spend some time in the local base hospital to have cactus spines removed from his poor hide! I may have the audio recording of his presentation and I will post it if I can find it. Anyway, soon after the semi-crash-landing, the fuselage of Lucky Lady II was placed on a flat-bed truck-trailer and put on tour. I don't know what other areas she might have toured, but she was in my local area in Southern California a couple of years before my time in the early 50s.

APG85 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:32 am

Anyone got interior photo's? I always thought the forward fuselage was not original...

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:18 am

The C-97 wings and engines came from Stockton, California.

There were three C-97/KC-97's at Stockton all owned by Hawkins and Powers. They were being modified as air tankers and one was finished there. The second one was in process and had the belly cut out when H&P decided to leave Stockton. They were able to fly the finished one and the uncut one out but the one with the belly opened up was basically abandoned.

The C-97 was supposedly given to someone but eventually was slated for the Air Museum. A guy named George came up from the Oakland Air Museum and he and his friends took the C-97 apart with his favorite tool; the chop saw.

I offered him the tools unbolt the outer wing panels but he preferred the chop saw and he cut the outer wings on the INBOARD side of the joint.

I also offered the prop tools but once again he preferred the chop saw citing that C-97 blades are common.

I asked him if we could have the nose gear fro our B-29 nose section. Even though it was not correct it would still bolt up and get our nose up on wheels. He said they needed it for the B-50 and removed it from the nose with a back loaded by ripping it from the structure. He destroyed the nose gear in the process.

It was sad, to say the least. to watch George and his magic chop saw in action but I am glad that the wings went to good use instead of being melted down. I guess the wings can be repaired but it will be at great expense. A few tools and a few extra days sure would have made a big difference.

Edward Sheetmetalhands · **Joined:** Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:44 am **Posts:** 257

That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard, Taigh.

Nathan · **Posted:** Fri Oct 09, 2009 8:07 am

Taigh Ramey wrote:

The C-97 wings and engines came from Stockton, California.

There were three C-97/KC-97's at Stockton all owned by Hawkins and Powers. They were being modified as air tankers and one was finished there. The second one was in process and had the belly cut out when H&P decided to leave Stockton. They were able to fly the finished one and the uncut one out but the one with the belly opened up was basically abandoned.

The C-97 was supposedly given to someone but eventually was slated for the Air Museum. A guy named George came up from the Oakland Air Museum and he and his friends took the C-97 apart with his favorite tool; the chop saw.

I offered him the tools unbolt the outer wing panels but he preferred the chop saw and he cut the outer wings on the INBOARD side of the joint.

I also offered the prop tools but once again he preferred the chop saw citing that C-97 blades are common.

I asked him if we could have the nose gear fro our B-29 nose section. Even though it was not correct it would still bolt up and get our nose up on wheels. He said they needed it for the B-50 and removed it from the nose with a back loaded by ripping it from the structure. He destroyed the nose gear in the process.

It was sad, to say the least. to watch George and his magic chop saw in action but I am glad that the wings went to good use instead of being melted down. I guess the wings can be repaired but it will be at great expense. A few tools and a few extra days sure would have made a big difference.

WOW that sucked! :evil:

Hal B · **Posted:** Fri Oct 09, 2009 10:57 am

Taigh Ramey wrote:

It was sad, to say the least. to watch George and his magic chop saw in action but I am glad that the wings went to good use instead of being melted down. I guess the wings can be repaired but it will be at great expense. A few tools and a few extra days sure would have made a big difference.

Sad to say, but it's happened all too often :cry:

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KC-97 remains, Planes of Fame, Valle, Az,

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