Warbird Information Exchange

Anybody got details on the extent of the damage....?

Historic B-17 Bomber Sustains Hail Damage At Willard Airport

CHAMPAIGN-- A big piece of history suffering hail damage Wednesday evening. This is footage from last week when we took you inside the WWII-era B-17 bomber plane. Wednesday it suffered hail damage at Willard Airport. Officials tell us there was no room in the hangars at Willard when the severe weather swept into the area.

The bomber is still in town after offering rides to the public this past weekend. Officials say the steering system sustained the heaviest damage.

Operations Manager George Daubner says, "We have some damage to our control surfaces. The FAR's --the Federal Aviation Administration's-- regulations that we fly by are very specific and the plane cannot fly passengers the way we are right now, and we would probably have to get what they call a 'ferry permit' to take it home."

The damaged plane is based out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Daubner says the crew will continue to evaluate the damage to see what parts they need to make repairs. That process could take between 10 days to two weeks.

Adam Rife reporting

http://www.wicd15.com/news/top-stories/stories/historic-b17-bomber-sustains-hail-damage-at-willard-airport-10444.shtml

That's the second time in the last few years. Not sure how to prevent it given the lack of large hangar space at outlying airports.

I hope it didn't wreck the nose glass.

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Hang The Expense

Just some minor damage in the fabric. She'll be running again in 2 days.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Manager

Just curious, why doesn't someone make some manner of shield for those horizontal surfaces? A metal plate of some kind with clips, wouldn't even need to be all that expensive, thick or heavy. Those surfaces on a B-17 aren't THAT big that you couldn't do that.
God knows if I were lucky enough to own a B-17, I'd for sure make a set just for cases like this...

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

That's good news.

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Hang The Expense

Honestly... If you can find it, duct tape some cardboard on it to protect it from hail... Works fine...

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Fly safe or you get to meet me .......

The problem with hail is it can be unpredictable and when it hits, its too late. Coverings large enough to cover the flight controls would have to be BIG...bigger than you think and would be impractical to carry around. Trying to put something over a plane during a storm is not easy.

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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..."

Glad to hear that. Looking forward to seeing her in Indianapolis next weekend.

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Matt

We have had to resort to this method several times through the years. It works fine as long as the hail is not too big. If you get into golf ball size hail, the cardboard does not work well, and the metal surfaces are then in danger as well. The horizontal surfaces can be done pretty easily, but the rudder is much more difficult, and typically there is not enough notice. Just have to make sure you get it stuck on well as storms with hail usually come with a decent amount of wind.

Back in the day, the T-38s in Lubbock had wing & horizontal tail "hail blankets" that were slipped on & held with Velcro straps when bad weather was expected. The outer shell was the same rubberized nylon used for engine covers, etc. The insides had what felt like egg crate foam. A set could be made for a B-17's fabric areas if there were interest and I suppose the sections could be rolled up & stuffed inside an inert bomb (as an idea). Whether there is enough interest or perceived return on the effort is up to the operators.

Ken

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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."