Went And Checked Up On A B-17 Restoration

[Code Red]

every now and then I'll go and check out this B-17 that is being restored near me. (actually there is another nearby but I haven't went to check it out yet "the memphis belle"). This one is called the Champaign Lady, it is made from several other B-17s and of course alot from scratch.

 

[Code Red]

and then the B-25 they also have

 

[Ghoster]

Those are awesome. Are they going to be museum pieces or air worthy?

 

[Code Red]

Those are awesome. Are they going to be museum pieces or air worthy?

the B-25 is already air worthy, its just getting maintenance done right now

the B-17 will be flyable as well

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

That is cool. Would love to check them out sometime. Need to hit up the airshow this summer.

 

[willn513]

This is awesome! It reminds me of a B-17 I went to see a couple years ago at Lunken Airport here in Cincinnati. It was called the Liberty Belle. It actually caught fire in flight last year in Illinois and was destroyed in a crash landing. It's good to see that these things are still around and that people care enough about the history associated with them to keep restoring them. Here's a link to the Liberty Belle's wikipedia page and some photos I took at the airshow a couple years ago...

Liberty Belle (B-17 Flying Fortress) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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[Wex]

I love anything WW2. Was in a B25 not long ago. Jets are awesome but gasoline and pistons make it a thrill.

 

[Code Red]

This is awesome! It reminds me of a B-17 I went to see a couple years ago at Lunken Airport here in Cincinnati. It was called the Liberty Belle. It actually caught fire in flight last year in Illinois and was destroyed in a crash landing. It's good to see that these things are still around and that people care enough about the history associated with them to keep restoring them. Here's a link to the Liberty Belle's wikipedia page and some photos I took at the airshow a couple years ago...

Liberty Belle (B-17 Flying Fortress) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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Actually it didn't crash they did make a successful emergency landing but after the landing the plane went up in flames

 

[willn513]

Thanks for the correction.

 

[Code Red]

Thanks for the correction.

No worries just here to help ;-)

 

[Code Red]

This April they are supposed to do another doolittle raiders reunion here in Dayton just like in 2010

 

[cbwilsha]

Boy! What a nostalgic thread for me. Thanks very much for the B-17 and B-25 pics. I flew both as a Radio Operator-Gunner. My B-17 was "Four Aces" as our tail number was 1111.

C.B.

 

[Code Red]

Boy! What a nostalgic thread for me. Thanks very much for the B-17 and B-25 pics. I flew both as a Radio Operator-Gunner. My B-17 was "Four Aces" as our tail number was 1111.

C.B.

Thank you for your service. My grand father was a infantry radio operator in WW2 in the Philippines

 

[Code Red]

If you guys want I can post up my Doolittle raiders reunion pics and video later on.

 

[cbwilsha]

I would love to see them, Code Red.

 

[animal]

Thanks for the pics! I would love to see more when it is completed as my grandfather was a belly gunner in a B-17 flying fortress in WW2.

 

[willn513]

If you guys want I can post up my Doolittle raiders reunion pics and video later on.

Yes please!

 

[Mark20]

Trivia question; What cost more to develop in WW2, the atomic bomb or the B29 bomber?

Sent from my Android using Tapatalk.

 

[v7guy]

that's great stuff, thanks for sharing the pics

 

[lknhomeaudio]

Awesome! Love those old things...

 

[Regulator]

Thanks for sharing the pictures. I would love to come over if the Reunion has any public events. Please keep us posted.

 

[SBUBandit]

That Mitchell looks like the one that is at Selfridge every other year for their airshow. For anyone interested in the old bombers, The world's only current air worthy B-29, "Fifi" will be performing in August at Thunder over Michigan.

Right now the folks who organize the airshow that is in conjunction with the Battle Creek Balloon Festival around the 4th of July are being very quiet about a very important plane they have coming this year. It would be awesome if they got Fifi to perform there as well. They already got the Thunderbirds, and the Horsemen, the only P-51 flight team in the world. Few things beat the sound of the Merlin

 

[Wex]

The world's only current air worthy B-29, "Fifi" will be performing in August at Thunder over Michigan.

I saw Fifi last year. Four new engines on her, they were very proud of her status. She was roped off, was not allowed to put hands on her. Saw her do a couple low altitude flybys. I would see her again in a heartbeat.

 

[Hatchet]

Awesome Pics.

 

[RichieT]

Great pictures!!! I'm glad to see they're still restoring these old warbirds. I remember in the mid 80's, we were traveling in western New York when we saw a small sign that said Air Show on the side of the road. My wife and I went to check it out and they had ( according to the flyer), 6 of the remaining 9 air-worthy B 17's there. They could only get 5 up the day I was there but still the best air show I've seen. I scanned a couple of pictures from that show. Hope you like em.

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[Code Red]

Great pictures!!! I'm glad to see they're still restoring these old warbirds. I remember in the mid 80's, we were traveling in western New York when we saw a small sign that said Air Show on the side of the road. My wife and I went to check it out and they had ( according to the flyer), 6 of the remaining 9 air-worthy B 17's there. They could only get 5 up the day I was there but still the best air show I've seen. I scanned a couple of pictures from that show. Hope you like em.

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real nice, this past week in Dayton we had 20 b-25s flying around ;-)

 

[blazinlow89]

Thank you to everyone who serves or has served, you are what makes this country great.

About 2 times a year the Navy TPS gets some old birds, the B-25 Panchito is always one, that is a sexy aircraft polished metal with large guns, and it sounds cool as fuck doing low fly bys. They also get some old Russian Migs which to me have the sweetest jet engine sound. I have also seen some old Golf H-1 Cobra's, older Hueys, and a pirate airlift S-58 from time to time. It is always an airshow.

 

[SBUBandit]

I remember in the mid 80's, we were traveling in western New York when we saw a small sign that said Air Show on the side of the road.

Wings of Eagles Airshow?

 

[RichieT]

real nice, this past week in Dayton we had 20 b-25s flying around ;-)

That must have been awesome!!! Get any pictures??

 

[Code Red]

That must have been awesome!!! Get any pictures??

I have a thread on it , however my bandwidth was exceeded. Towards the end of the thread I have a link to the albums.

However I do have plenty of video posted as well

http://gmtnation.com/f72/doolittle-raiders-reunion-2012-a-2975/

 

[RichieT]

Wings of Eagles Airshow?

It was so long ago I don't remember. The show was either just above the finger lakes or between them. We were coming back from Niagra and saw the sign and followed it.

 

[SBUBandit]

It was so long ago I don't remember. The show was either just above the finger lakes or between them. We were coming back from Niagra and saw the sign and followed it.

That would be the right area for the Wings of Eagles Airshow. I grew up in Western NY

 

[RichieT]

That would be the right area for the Wings of Eagles Airshow. I grew up in Western NY

That sounds right. I believe this was 1988. We were traveling in a motorhome and stopped at a campground above the finger lakes that had a outdoor theater. We didn't know at the time we made reservations but Neil Young was playing there that night. It was the "This notes for you" tour which came out april 1988. The following week Stevie Ray Vaughn was playing with Jimmie V and the Fabulous Thunderbirds (Wish I caught that one). The airshow was the same weekend as the SRV show.

 

[Uncle Blazer]

real nice, this past week in Dayton we had 20 b-25s flying around ;-)

Dayton has a lot of cool old stuff. My buddy had his wedding rehersal dinner at the Packard Museum, which was really cool to see.