Australian B-24 restoration Milestone

[Bearcat SA]

I assume this is a restoration to static condition ?

[tulsaboy]

I think their original intention was taxiable condition. Not sure if that has changed or not. But it is undoubtedly going to be one of the nicest B-24 restorations in recent memory!

kevin

[Dan K]

Anyone know if Colin Grey is still a part of this group? I tracked down an Emerson nose turret project for him a few years back.

[Warbird Kid]

But it is undoubtedly going to be one of the nicest B-24 restorations in recent memory!

Pretty sure its the only B-24 restoration currently happening! Sure wish there were more being worked on.

[Steve Nelson]

Sure wish there were more being worked on.

I wish there were more TO work on!

Congrats to the Aussies!

SN

[Mark_Pilkington]

This project, was, and still is working towards a ground running and taxiable B-24 restoration, engines have been acquired and overhauled for that outcome, and turrets such as the ball turret rebuilt to operating condition.

Coln Grey is no longer actively working on the project as he was travelling @3+ Hours each way to Werribee from his home near Philip Island on the other side of Melbourne, having to stay overnight at Werribee to make the travel worthwhile, and he now volunteers at the Vietnam Veterans Museum at that location, however his driving efforts were instrumental in the outcome today and I am sure he is still a supporting member of the project.

regards

Mark Pilkington

[JägerMarty]

Great news, was down there a few months ago and it was Lookin good

[gary1954]

Sure wish there were more being worked on.

I wish there were more TO work on!


SN

Amen Brother....AaaaaMen!!

Where is the available information on this airframe such as where these guys acquired it

[Second Air Force]

We talked about this aircraft on a thread several years ago, maybe on the reconfiguration project thread. Here's a short synopsis of the component source: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/A72-176.html

I recall reading that the wing is not potentially airworthy without complete reconstruction as it sat through many grass fires over the decades.

[Mark_Pilkington]

There were various claims over the years that the aircraft was "being restored to airworthy condition" but this was being used to describe the workmanship and detail effort rather than the quality of the starting or finished product and its end capability.

The fuselage is a B24M former RAAF aircraft sold and scrapped in Victoria, it spend many years stored in the yard of a farmhouse covered in timber as a makeshift cover, and suffered a lot of corrosion in its belly as a consequence. It had an intact cockpit but was missing all of its turrets, including the forward turret mounting. There has been a lot of good work put into the fuselage and although I cant comment on material specs, release notes and specific areas, overall the outcome is spectacular and of a very high quality.

No short cuts have been taken, while the nose turret mounting and fairing was missing, and could have been moulded in fibre-glass to deliver a visually acceptable outcome, the entire structure has been recreated in aluminium for accuracy, after much research, trial and error.

The wing is from a B24D former USAF aircraft which force landed in PNG, the wreck had suffered grass fires but was the only source of a wing so they had to take what they could get.

The wing outer panels were cut off by disc outboard of the attach angles to allow recovery with minimum tooling/resources, with the intention of splicing them back together locally, however the group later obtained good PB4Y wing outers from the USA, these are currently fitted and they may well be airworthy capable?.

The limiting factor therefore is the burnt B24D centre-section, the attachment to the B24M fuselage highlighted the jig differences between the models and factories and there was a lot of work to mate to the two, but the major issue was grass fire damage and subsequent corrosion under the wing centre-section, and I seem to recall some doubler skins in the wheel wells being removed due to the extent of corrosion and therefore the structure would effectively need to be stripped down and re-manufactured to contemplate airworthy restoration and that has not been the case.

The project commenced with former RAAF B-24 crews wanting to create a static display, they explored acquisitions/recoveries from around the world only to uncover the only surviving RAAF B-24 fuselage sitting virtually down the road.

Colin Grey has played a major part in the driving force and wheeling and dealing to get the remaining parts and to assemble a restoration team and well resourced workshop resource to undertake the task, and while their objective was and remains a non-airworthy outcome, they are very serious about its "operational" capability and intactness.

But the outcome has been the effort of hundreds of members and volunteers over many many years of fundraising, parts sourcing, stripping, repairing, building and painting.

A friend up the road from my home is restoring the rear turret and the length he is going to make it operational and to design a mould to create new perspex is unbelievable.

He has effectively re-created the turret in 3-D CAD to determine dimensions, attach points, reinforcing ribs etc (and I mean down to specific structure not just 3 dimensional outline), built a plug for the perspex, built his own heat treating chamber for it, as well as sourcing parts from around the world to rebuild the turret itself into a operational example.

Overall an excellent project and a real demonstration of what can be done by volunteers, its a pity the remaining B-24 wrecks in PNG and elsewhere arnt being recovered for similar long term outcomes, but Australia is very lucky that this project has done so for us.

regards

Mark Pilkington

[APG85]

FASCINATING!!!!!!! What a neat project!

[Second Air Force]

Yep, it's a great looking airplane and I tip my hat to everyone who's had a part in the restoration. Thanks for the more detailed history of the components, Mark. Gary and I used to talk about going down to lend a hand on her "someday"...... Ellen and I have talked about a warbird-working vacation for the near future and we'd love to see her up close.

[Mark_Pilkington]

Gary and I used to talk about going down to lend a hand on her "someday"...... Ellen and I have talked about a warbird-working vacation for the near future and we'd love to see her up close.

I wish Gary and you had come out, I would have enjoyed giving you and Gary a guided tour of the B-24, Point Cook and Moorabbin in thanks for his assistance with the Moorabbin PBY (beaching gear) and of course our collective efforts on Sea Bitch.

I am sure he was pleased with her eventual outcome of going to Pima, that always his dream outcome for her, and I would hope Pima tells of Gary's efforts somewhere in the display of the finished restoration.

If you and Ellen get down here, I would be pleased to give you the same tour in Gary's absence and memory.

I bought a number of Gary's books last year and they were shipped out with Jasons container of Sea Bitch wings etc (and yet to be unpacked smiles). One that I am looking forward to reading and giving pride of place in my own bookshelf is Gary's book on PBY's.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

[Second Air Force]

When our work/vacation schedules align properly we will take you up on the offer, Mark! Perhaps next year we can get our "ducks in a row" and make a visit.

Scott