B-17 Flying Fortress/44-83735 ~ the Duxford resto thread

bomberflight · **Posted:** Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:01 am

This post comes to you directly from underneath the B-17 fuselage ......

Let's start with a self portrait !

I've got two things to show you while we're down here .....

Is this the hatch for the post strike camera ?

OK ..... So whats this one then ?

Could this be a camera hatch modification from when it was an IGN survey ship ? Or is it a disposal hatch for spent ammo cases and links ?

Curious of DX :wink:

Rod Schneider · **Posted:** Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:09 am

That last hatch is definitely not original. Boeing would never have done something so crude. Either a camera mod like you mentioned or (maybe) a field mod of some kind?

Fortress Fan · **Posted:** Sat Jul 23, 2011 4:19 am

If it is situated just aft of the ball turret, I believe it is the hatch for the turret clean off, There is a flap in the floor that was lifted so the ball turret could have the front screen wiped/cleaned in flight if it became dirty.
Obviously it looks like it has been enlarged somewhat, hence the poor finish.

CrewDawg · **Posted:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:45 am

The first one with the mini bomb bay doors is a stock strike camera door. There should be a "D" shaped opening just forward of it for the view finder. The second one is anyone's guess, mine is that it was added by the IGN.

bomberflight · **Posted:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:05 am

I'll crawl under there again on Monday to confirm it's physical location !

bomberflight · **Posted:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 11:14 am

Today's post is all about bomb disposal .....

The first thing we need is someone who knows how to get these puppies out of the bomb bay

Let's hope there not too heavy .....

The next few pix are for the modelling community

All that remains now is to take them to a storage location

Coming soon ~ bomb bay internal details :wink:

lmritger · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:42 am

This shot is full of win.

Thanks as always!!!

Lynn

390BG · **Posted:** Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:58 pm

The first two hatches are the camera doors and viewfinder beneath the radio room. There is a small hatch behind the ball turret that actually allows the turret glass to be cleaned during flight - looks like your "mystery hatch". Have never seen it on any current restorations but ran across it in the B-17 drawings for Champaign Lady.

View from inside the radio room.

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

Rod Schneider wrote:

That last hatch is definitely not original. Boeing would never have done something so crude. Either a camera mod like you mentioned or (maybe) a field mod of some kind?

No kidding, looks like someone went at it with a Sawzall... & looking at those squared corners obviously done by some yahoo with NO sheet metal skill at all..

bomberflight · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:45 pm

This is the Questions & Answers post

Crew Dawg ~ IWM don't fly any of the aircraft in their collection ~ so complying with the FAA A.D. is not in the project plan for this refurbishment.
All the electric wiring looms were cut ~ along with most hydraulic lines at some point in the past. Turning this airframe into a flyer would be a mammoth
undertaking and this project has a completion deadline for mid 2012.

ZRX61 ~ That cracked exhuast should get looked at if there is time in the schedule.

Now what about that "mystery" hatch under the fuselage ?

It is indeed located just behind the Ball Turret and I'm advised there's a hatch in the floor to give access.
You'd have to be a lot braver than me to want to stick your arm our of there in flight just to clean the Ball Turret glass .....

Apparently Sally B also has the same set up too ! Both of these airframes served with the IGN ~ so maybe there's still a page in this story to be turned .....

And now I've got another question to pose ......

Is this the only B-17 currently fitted with Lift-A-Dot fasteners over the Radio Room hatch ?

And ~ around the main undercarriage bays ?

While you are pondering this little puzzle ...... I'll be working on sorting out the umpteen other pictures I need to post to bring the thread up to date ! :wink:

390BG · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:13 pm

This is the interior & exterior view of our ball turret clean hatch.

Exterior view.

Interior view, the floor panel is hinged.

The Inspector · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:19 pm

Never heard the term 'lift a dot' must be something that seperates us from our English cousins, a common language :lol:

those look like the posts used to attach a tonneau cover using spring loaded grommets on the canvas cover panel over, say the radio room glass. In what area is the other set of snaps located? the photo is too tightly focused.

shrike · **Posted:** Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:08 pm

The Inspector wrote:

Never heard the term 'lift a dot' must be something that seperates us from our English cousins, a common language :lol:

those look like the posts used to attach a tonneau cover using spring loaded grommets on the canvas cover panel over, say the radio room glass. In what area is the other set of snaps located? the photo is too tightly focused.

"Lift-The-Dot" is the instruction and trademark on the female grommet. American, I'm afraid. Used extensively on US field equipment

RAF and Luftwaffe probably would have used Tenax brand "Pull-The-Dot" or "Ziehen-Den-Punkt" fasteners. Similar, but not interchangeable.

CrewDawg · **Posted:** Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:59 pm

Peter,
Thanks for the update. When I win the Powerball Lotto, I'll be happy to come over there and help rewire and replumb those cut lines!!!!

Chuckie has the same "Lift-A-Dot" studs also. I don't know if it was standard installation or one that was common to post WWII B-17's. If you look closely below the life raft door you can see them. Sorry, I can't find a better pic of them off hand. Man I wish she was back in Texas!

bomberflight · **Posted:** Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:39 am

Thanks for sharing the pic Bill ~ I've been looking at factory images of the Boeing production line and can't see them fitted in those.
I'm wondering if this could have been a Cheyenne modification or indeed as you say ~ fitted post WW2 when the airplane went into storage .......
We may never know !

Talking as we are of the Lift Raft Hatch ~ let's take a closer look at that area today. ( the Bomb Bay pix can wait a day

)

We need to start with this image ......

With the fuselage now cleaned and treated for corrosion ~ it's been lowered down onto two sturdy "coffee tables" to allow work to be
carried out of the Life Raft Hatches at a safer working height.

From inside ~ everything looks OK ~

but let's follow the work underway to de-rivet the surround panels .....

Uh oh !

This area is something of a water trap and had been flagged for inspection during the pre-restoration survey when the airframe was
in the American Air Museum. We'll be following the treatment of this area in future posts on this thread.

More soon ! :wink:

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B-17 Flying Fortress/44-83735 ~ the Duxford resto thread

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