The Natl Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force gets a B-24!

[Pat Carry]

As has been rumored for awhile, the B-24 currently at Barksdale AFB will be coming to thye Natl Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force. This is great news! www.facebook.com/mighty8thmuseum A good museum just got better!

[kalamazookid]

Awesome! This will be a great move for the airframe. Looking forward to seeing it properly restored, painted and preserved indoors where it belongs. Congratulations to the Mighty 8th Museum!

[sandiego89]

Great news. I seem to recall she is pretty gutted inside. Can anyone confirm or have pics?

[Steve Nelson]

I've seen photos of her at the Spartan School of Aeronautics in the 1960s with no engine nacelles and looking pretty well stripped. I assume she's basically an exterior restoration. I'm just glad she's finally coming in out of the weather, and will hopefully get correct markings.

SN

[JohnB]

If the IWM/AAM can restore its ex-Lackland B-24 (a EZB-24M to be precise) interior to stock, perhaps there is hope for a proper interior (of sorts).

[Ken]

This is awesome news. I’ve followed this one a long time and have been quick to say, “Write to the AF Museum and encourage them to save this airplane”. Well, to be fair, I now suggest we have a campaign of sending them words of thanks. I have met some of the newer leadership and they do want to see history preserved, albeit within their real limits of budget, manpower, etc. You never know, maybe more good things can happen.

Ken

[JohnB]

I have met some of the newer leadership and they do want to see history preserved, albeit within their real limits of budget, manpower, etc. You never know, maybe more good things can happen.
Ken

I'd like to see the remaining WWII fighters and bombers on their books, get under cover at the various bases.

The trouble is the cost and once you put an airplane in a building, who is going to staff it for open hours. The local bases don't have the money and they'd have to recruit volunteers which means setting up an honest to gosh museum in lieu of a simple airpark. And taking away air frames won't be popular with the locals...which mean a Congressman might get involved.

So no easy answers...maybe replace the B-17s on outdoor display (Dyess, Grissom, Lackland,, Offutt, etc) with fiberglass replicas like the ones used in the recent TV series and give the real ones to museums who can put them under cover.

[Pat Carry]

I have met some of the newer leadership and they do want to see history preserved, albeit within their real limits of budget, manpower, etc. You never know, maybe more good things can happen.
Ken

I'd like to see the remaining WWII fighters and bombers on their books, get under cover at the various bases.

The trouble is the cost and once you put an airplane in a building, who is going to staff it for open hours. The local bases don't have the money and they'd have to recruit volunteers which means setting up an honest to gosh museum in lieu of a simple airpark. And taking away air frames won't be popular with the locals...which mean a Congressman might get involved.

So no easy answers...maybe replace the B-17s on outdoor display (Dyess, Grissom, Lackland,, Offutt, etc) with fiberglass replicas like the ones used in the recent TV series and give the real ones to museums who can put them under cover.

The Grissom B-17 is now on display inside the Museum of Aviation. A step in the right direction.

[StangStung]

Given the few B-24s extant, and the huge gap in the NASM collection without a B-24, I wonder why they didn't go for this one?

[JohnB]

My guess...
1. Too much work since I assume that Liberator is stripped and in less than pristine state.
2. It's clear that they don't have much interest in displaying one.
The U-H facility has been open for about 20 years and they certainly haven't hurried to display a B-17, arguably America's most famous WWII aircraft. Yes, they owned one, but didn't do much with it. The only reason they have a B-17 now is they received a restored one from the NMUSAF.

I get the feeling they think that since they have a B-29 (perhaps unwillingly given the controversy regarding its display) they have US WWII bombers covered.

[sandiego89]

I get the feeling they think that since they have a B-29...they have US WWII bombers covered....

I think you are right. The Smithsonian never professed to be a "one of every US type" museum, but the lack of a B-17 until the very recent Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby at UH has been curious. With the B-29, B-17, eventual Flak Bait (someday???) and B-25 (in Storage) and space running out at the Mall location and UH, I doubt they would pursue a B-24.

[Warbird Kid]

I get the feeling they think that since they have a B-29...they have US WWII bombers covered....

I think you are right. The Smithsonian never professed to be a "one of every US type" museum, but the lack of a B-17 until the very recent Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby at UH has been curious. With the B-29, B-17, eventual Flak Bait (someday???) and B-25 (in Storage) and space running out at the Mall location and UH, I doubt they would pursue a B-24.

Which leads me to wonder... will we see an expansion on the UH hangar? If they wanted to match the same distance from the edge of the apron on the north side as the south side, they could add on about 260ft of hangar space if they wanted to. Curious about the future plans for that site after all the renovations for the mall are completed.

Last edited by Warbird Kid on Wed Jun 18, 2025 4:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mark Sampson]

It's all about the money- to build museum space, and pay technicians, curators, and historians. Billionaires with their own museums, like Paul Allen, can do as they please. Most museums, even the Smithsonian, must contend with limited resources and a wide variety of ever-increasing expenses. Not to mention the work the development office has to do, finding donors.
So I'll just be happy that the B-24 will be in a good home now. This is a big win for the historic aircraft community.

[JimH]

Fun bit of trivia, about 15 years ago Collings was approched by NASM to trade the B-24 for The P-61. They gave us a great after hours tour and the talks were short lived but, they have an interest in the 24. The Witch will be with Collings in the new facility in stow…someday

Jim

[phil65]

Interesting..
It's been a while since i've been the the NASM.
Could the P-61 be made to fly again, relatively easy ?

Phil